Road to Hinata Uzumaki
by TheCupIsMightierThanTheSword
Summary: When a fourteen year old Hinata Hyuga one day finds herself stuck in the body of her future self, she is forced to embark on an early journey of adulthood, motherhood, and most of all being married to the boy she never thought she would be with. [NaruHina]. [DISCONTINUED]
1. Back to the Future

Road to Hinata Uzumaki

**A/n:**

Hello, hello to you all. It may be a little too late to say this, but finally SasuSaku and NaruHina have arrived to their destination in canon with the cutest babies ever! And for once instead of reading fanfiction, I decided to actually write a fanfiction. And since it is NaruHina month, I decided to begin my debut into the world of writing fanfiction by writing one of my own. But I do hope to write my own SasuSaku fanfic soon, I don't know when, but when I got the idea for this fic I couldn't get it out my head so viola! But this fanfic will contain SasuSaku I promise! This story soothes my impatience for the last and for the Bolt movie coming in August...

Anyways, I'm not usually one to write romance, but I hope to do well with this one with the help of zero experience and shoujo manga! (It's so sad! TT_TT) So I hope you all enjoy and I apologize for any potential OOC-ness. Any advice and critiques will be loved and appreciated, may the flames stay away.

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did, NejiTen would've happened.**

+Chapter One: Back to the Future+

_"Thanks Hinata! Earlier, I was feeling uncharacteristically depressed, but now I feel great!...You know... I always thought that you were just a plain looking, dark weirdo... But I really like people like you!"_

_... Naruto-kun...!_

"nata..."

"Hinata..."

"Hey Hinata!"

Hinata Hyuga snapped out of her daydream with a start. In front of her, Kiba was staring at her with an exasperated look on his face. That was when she took notice of her surroundings. She wasn't with Naruto Uzumaki, her longtime crush, but she was with her teammates Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame at Team 8's training grounds. Kurenai was absent from the session, for it had been more of reunion rather an actual training session. However, she did state she would be there later after taking care of some business. A light flush of embarrassment spread across Hinata's cheeks. She just got caught daydreaming in front of her teammates! "E-er, yes Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, trying to appear nonchalant to her normally wild friend.

The dog-lover sighed, "You've been standing their like a sitting duck for forever!"

"F-forever?" Hinata stammered back. Her trip down memory lane hadn't seem that long. _How embarrassing!_ Her opal-coloured eyes directed themselves to her more mature comrade and friend, Shino. He was generally quiet, but he really was a nice guy. "Was it really that long, Shino-kun?"

Much to the former Hyuga heiress's ever-growing feeling of embarrassment, the bug-wielder had nodded. "Seven minutes more than likely." Shino's voice had an amused tone to it.

Kiba bursted out laughing hardily and beside him Akamaru was barking, probably laughing at her too. "Kiba-kun!" Hinata protested.

Then a small chuckle erupted from Shino's throat as well. "Shino-kun!"

"Oh calm down we're just teasin' ya!" Kiba said when his laughter finally died down. "Phew, it feels great to finally be out of that hospital right Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked, wagging his tail in amusement.

Hinata smiled softly at the ninja hound's antics, she was happy as well. Not too long ago, Kiba had left with several others on a mission to bring escort the son of the Wind Daimyo back to his home in the Land of Wind. It had started off well enough, but on Kiba's way back to Konoha they had been ambushed by a group of rouges. And while he hadn't been injured too badly with a katana slash on his abdomen, that was because Akamaru had protected his best friend from any other hits with his own body.

"Make sure not to push yourself," Shino 's voice would've sounded apathetic to anyone outside their team, but Kiba and Hinata and even Akamaru could tell that the raven-haired male was concerned.

Kiba grinned cheekily, "I'll be fine, _Moom_." He goaded.

The only female on the team 8 voiced her own concerns, "But are you sure you're really up to training and missions now that you've been discharged?" The wounds Kiba had taken to the abdomen might not have been that alarming, but if he didn't trully feel up to the task, she didn't think it would be okay to train. And Akamaru was bandaged heavily too!

The brunette rolled his eyes, "Can you all stop acting like a bunch of mother hens? Tsunade-sama said we were good to go, so we're good to go!"

"Woof!"

"That's right, buddy!"

Shino sighed, but he didn't say anything and Hinata just gave a small smile that said 'it-can't-be-helped'.

"Oh yeah," Kiba said thoughtfully. "What were you thinking about earlier, huh? Was it Naaruto?"

A full-face blush spread across Hinata's face almost instantly. "N-no!" Out of habit, Hinata began to twiddle her fingers and her eyes shifted away from the prying black eyes of her teammate. "I was just wondering when, when Kurenai-sensei was going to come!"

Kiba made a noise that sounded like he believed her answer, but his face said other. Hinata _had_ been thinking about Naruto.

It had been a year since then, but Naruto, like Sasuke Uchiha had done before hand, had left Konoha.

It saddened the Hyuga girl, but she had reminded herself since that Naruto's leaving was not for good, it was because he was now training other one of the Legendary Sannin and because of that they had left to travel as well. More than likely to broaden Naruto's views on the world, but Hinata wasn't sure. However, she had seen the blonde ninja off when he left. A small surge of pride filled the Hyuga girl's heart. She hadn't seen anyone else near by when Naruto finally left, maybe he had noticed! Surely that had to count for something! But that small piece of pride quickly got suppressed by a cloud of gloom. _But Naruto-kun never really noticed me before..._

_"I really like people like you!"_

Hinata blushed once more and her heart began to speed up. Naruto had said that to her. She tried her hardest to keep a smile from spreading onto her face, the last thing she really needed was for Kiba and Shino to see. They always made it a habit to tease Hinata in every little way when it came to her feelings Naruto, and while she may have loved her team to pieces. She liked staying unteased a tad bit more.

"Anyways, let's get to training, already! I've been outta commission for way too long!" Kiba male took a jab at the air to show how on edge he was. "C'mon Akamaru, let's hit it off with some Dynamic Marking!" And with a bark of eagerness, the two had taken a sprint towards the forest that was in their training grounds.

"Kiba! I won't forgive you disturbing any of the insects in that forest!" Shino shouted back, irritant but when he got no answer in return he began to run after the pair. "I swear."

A giggle shot out of Hinata's throat. Team 8 had quickly fallen into it's normal pace of things. _I need to train too!_ The young teen's lavender eyes hardened in determination._ I can't be left behind!_

Hinata ran forward to follow Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru but stop abruptly when she felt a pounding pain enter her head. "Wha-what?!" Hinata grabbed her head instantly, fingers latching onto her dark blue hair. _What is this pain?!_ Tears began to swell in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. However she quickly found herself on her knees. "I-itai! Why, why is-"

She couldn't even finish her sentence.

The blunette gritted her teeth, her consciousness beginning to slip as her vision started to become cloudy. _I, I don't think I can stay awake much longer...!_ A quiet gasp erupted from her throat. She felt the same way Neji looked whenever her father used the Cursed Bird Seal on him.

"..." Hinata sucked in a shaky breath and her eyes wavered. Was her father near by and finally decided to place the Curse Seal that was passed through the Hyuga Clan for generations on her?

That was Hinata's last thought as the black finally took her, and her eyes rolled to back of her head.

~';'~

Hinata woke up with a slow start, blinking her eyes once. Twice. Thrice before she eased herself into a sitting position.

The room was too dark because of the blinds, but it gave off a safe, homie feel and her bed was very comfortable. The pale girl blinked once more in confusion. Did Kiba or Shino come back to find her unconscious on the ground, or did Kurenai finally make it after all and came when Hinata was crippled silent by her pain? The dandere brought a cold hand to her forehead which was blanketed safely by her bangs. Her head was no longer pounding with pain either, it just felt strangely cool and calm. _It, it doesn't feel any different..._

Hinata almost let out a sigh of relief, but she knew that it was still a possibilty that having the Curse Bird Seal didn't feel any different than it was without.

The blunette bit her lip and clenched her covers with her other hand.

She didn't want to face anyone after what had happened earlier. Her farther trully did think of her as weak and he placed a seal upon her to further prove her thoughts. And since it was now evening, Hinata knew that she had slept the entire day after what happened. She would probably get reprimanded for that as well.

_"Hyuga's always make quick recovery Hinata." Hiashi's voice and gaze was stern as it glared at his daughter's fallen form on the wooden floor. "Remember this lesson well. Now stand up and charge at me again!"_

_"Y-yes, Otou-sama!"_

Her lavender eyes clouded with depression.

_It would only make it worse if I just pretend to stay here still sleeping..._ The young beauty dropped her other hand on her blanket and clenched it with that hand. "Be strong."

So pushing her blankets off her body Hinata heaved herself out of bed, her head feeling slightly heavier. She paid it no mind though, it was probably because it was an after effect of the seal. She just wanted to pull back her curtains and see the comfort of the stars before the inevitable meeting she would have to go through to discuss why the Seal had been placed on her.

Her small hand touched the curtain delicately and was surprised at how the texture had changed. It felt smooth, velvety even. Did her father feel guilty about bestowing the Cursed Bird Seal on her and decided to spice up her decorum? Hinata bit her lip once more, having mixed feelings about the matter. But she quickly shook the thought out her head, it wasn't like her father. And she didn't feel like thinking about him either, she decided as she finally peeled the curtains back and looked up at the dotted sky.

_Is Naruto-kun looking up at the same stars from where he is?_ Hinata's lips curved into a small smile as she imagined cerulean eyes looking up at the night sky, eyes dazzling in amazement at them. _Maybe... Maybe he's thinking about me, too?_ Pale cheeks flushed and she looked down from the sky and down at the Hyuga Compo-

Hinata felt her mind stop for the second time in so little time.

She wasn't in the Hyuga Compound.

"Where am I?" Opal eyes widened, feeling fear beginning to creep into her. She looked left, then she looked right. Then Hinata searched for the Hokage Monument and felt slightly at ease when she the familiar slopes of the previous Hokages. At the very least, Hinata was still in Konoha. But the semi-relief smile on Hinata's lips dropped once more as she saw another head carved into the stone.

The hair was sloped over and spiky, and even though it was dark Hinata could still recognize the hairstyle of Kakashi Hatake anywhere.

Hinata ran out the room instantly and activated her Byakugan then proceeded to run to what seemed to be a living room. She was defnitely in a house. The house was medium-sized, with three bedrooms, a kitchen, a balcony, and the living room she was currently entering.

Hinata slowed her steps, cautiously entering the room. Aside from the two bodies she passed from the two other rooms behind her, there weren't any other signs of life in the house she was currently in. But her guard didn't lower. For a brief second, she considered the possibility that the other two people in the house were her kidnappers but they were too small. _Were they taken too?_ The blunette kept in mind to go back and view the other two after she gave the house a thorough searching.

She entered the living room.

There was definitely no other people in here and aside from the sleeping bodies of nearby Konoha civilians, there wasn't anyone on guard either.

Hinata sighed in relief; she would be able to escape then.

She turned foot to go back and see the other two that were in the house, slowly opening the door of the one closest to the room she was just in. The sound of peaceful sleeping hit her ears and now that Hinata was paying more attention, she realized that the person sleeping was a child. A young one at that. She directed her gaze to the person in the other room, it was a child as well. _How cruel!_ Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and felt a lot of sympathy for the children. Taking small children from their homes is just cruel! Hinata felt at the wall and flicked on the light switch, it would be okay since the enemy at the moment was foolish enough to leave the base of their operations unguarded.

The child was a girl, Hinata could tell from her side view. Her hair was a dark navy blue just like Hinata's and with how it flared out with an ahoge sticking out the center of her head, it was like the girl had leaves for hair. Hinata placed a hand on the child's head and noted that it was a lot softer than it looked. The girl's temperature was normal. That was good.

With urgency, Hinata gently shook the girl awake and eventually the girl turned around to face her with a groggy expression. Hinata couldn't help but notice how the girl had four familiar whisker marks on her face, two for each cheek. And her eyes were a beautiful shade of cerulean. This girl would grow up to be a beautiful young woman, Hinata was going to make sure of that. She was going to get the three of them out of here! The girl began to open her mouth her eyes wide, but Hinata quietly shushed her. "It's alright, little one," Hinata said in a warm tone, surprised at how mature her voice sounded. "I'm going to get us out of here, I promise. What's your name?" The lavender-eyed beauty gave the girl a gentle and reassuring smile.

"Himawari..." The girl, Himawari, answered hesitantly. Her cerulean eyes were riddled with confusion.

"Himawari-chan." The name felt foreign yet familiar on Hinata's tongue as she said it for the first time. "It's a very pretty name just like you. Now I'm going to go get the other child here too okay, then all three of us will leave. Just sit here and scream for me if anyone comes in here." Hinata wanted to wake the children one at a time, not wanting to overwhelm the second with so many people after waking up. But apparently, the boy had beaten her to it as Himawari said:

"Nii-chan?"

_Nii-chan?_ Hinata repeated mentally and turned around to see who Himawari was talking about.

It was the second child in the house and unlike Himawari, his hair was blonde. It flared upwards and just like his sister he had an ahoge coming out his head, making him another leaf-head and he also sported four whisker marks on his cheeks. But unlike his sister, his eyes were lavender, like the Byakugan but he had a pupil in each eye. _What a cute little boy..._ Hinata thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed herself being bombarded by so many cute children. Hinata opened her mouth to say something, but the blonde boy cut her off.

"Hey Kaa-chan, what are you doing-ttebasa?"

"Wh-what?" Hinata was stupefied once again. "Kaa-chan?" She repeated dumbly. She didn't even take notice of the familiar sounding verbal tick the boy just used.

The blonde nodded, tilting his head in confusion. "Well yeah," he replied. "Kaa-chan, are you okay?"

Himawari spoke from behind her, "Mama's still sleepy, I think." She said as she transitioned from what was apparently her bed, to her older brother. She looked worried and tired.

Hinata slowly shook her head, just barely noticing the light scraping on her back. "I, I can't be your mother," She blinked her opal-tinted eyes in disbelief. "I-I-I'm fourteen!"

The blonde boy look extremely confused now, "But, Kaa-chan-"

'Kaa-chan' was the last thing Hinata heard, before promptly fainting again.

-xxx-

Lavender eyes blinked open.

She was no longer in Himawari's room with the two children that claimed she was their mother. It was all a dream. Her getting the Cursed Bird Seal placed upon her and being in a room with two (cute) children she had never met before.

Hinata wiped her forehead. She didn't know whether or not she should be relieved or disappointed.

Hinata blinked once more, then once again, felt a panic come over her. She was still in a room she had no idea was located.

Instantly, the young girl sat herself up, Byakugan ready. Her eyes taking in the sight from the window she had looked through earlier; she was still in Konoha. She pushed the covers off her legs then noticed something else, her hair was all the way down to her butt. _What on earth!_ Hinata gasped. _My hair isn't this long! It's only just starting to get past my chin!_ After Naruto left, the blunette had decided to grow her hair out longer, but hair didn't grow this fast in a night. Then Hinata looked down at her legs, she had been in shorts apparently, and her legs were longer and -dare she say it- _adult-like_?

The Hyuga's eyes widened. _What is happening to my body?!_

But Hinata's panic was interrupted midway as the door to the room she was in creaked open.

"Oh, thank kami, you're awake-ttebayo!"

_That voice..._ Hinata's voice began to pound like crazy.

Ba-dump.

_It's sounds..._

Ba-dump.

_So familiar._

It was more a lot more mature and groan up from when she last heard it, but all-in-all, Hinata knew for a fact- she knew that voice. Her head turned around slowly.

The blue eyes, the blonde hair, the whiskers, and a cheery toothy grin.

It was him. Her long time crush:

"Naruto-kun?!" Hinata yelled in surprise before she could stop herself. His hair was cut shorter, but Hinata knew that face anywhere. He was dressed casually in orange and grey sweats and in his hands was a tray with a bowl of soup on it. _Is that for me...? _The blue-haired felt the familiar urge to faint once more, but she greatly urged herself not to. She couldn't faint so much in so little time! _Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint, don't faint!_ Hinata mentally screamed at herself, breathing slowly to calm herself.

Naruto grinned back at the shocked Hyuga girl, "The one and only-ttebayo." His grin fell for a brief moment but then came back quickly, even wider than it was before. "I know you're happy to see me but you don't have to blush that hard." He laughed heartily much to Hinata's embarrassment as she clamped her hands onto her completely reddened face.

"Y-y-you just look different is all, Naruto-kun!" Hinata defended herself. _Why is..._ Hinata looked down at her lap, not sure where to place her eyes now. _Why is Naruto-kun talking so familiar with me...?_ "Wh-when did you get back from you're training with Jiraiya-sama, N-Naruto-kun?"

She felt Naruto sit down beside her, placing the tray of food on the counter next to the bed she was laying on. Hinata glanced at the boy, well, he looked more like a man now. He was no longer smiling, his cheery attitude turning into confusion. "Are you alright, Hinata? I came back from that years ago."

"What?!" Hinata said before she could help it. How could that be, Naruto had been gone for a year and she was pretty sure he wouldn't be back until later than that. Hinata snapped out of her train of thought when she felt a large, warm hand push her bangs out the way and place itself on her forehead. Hinata felt her face turn red and felt the sudden urge to faint once more if the hadn't didn't stop touching her quickly. Fortunately, someone above was listening, because Naruto folded his arms after a about five seconds.

He had a pouty expression on his face. "Well you don't feel like you have a fever-ttebayo," Naruto said. "But are you sure you haven't been working hard, Hina? You gave the kids a huge scare last night." His lips suddenly formed a smile. "Boruto told me you said you were fourteen! Ha! Fourteen-ttebayo!" Naruto laughed extremely hard, slapping a hand on his knee.

Hinata felt slightly embarrassed, though she couldn't fathom why. She really was fourteen. And yet here was Naruto laughing at the though mere thought of her being a teenager. The Hyuga girl ignored it though, she was just happy that she wasn't in any danger. But it still felt a bit surreal, talking to Naruto like this was something she only dreamed about! That's when something crossed her mind. "Oh," she set her hands down slowly and Naruto finally stopped laughing, looking her dead in the eye. "You know those children, Naruto-kun?"

"..."

Any hint of playfulness on Naruto's face and general deposition went out the window. "Well, yeah," his eyes were beginning to cloud with worry and confusion. "It's Boruto and Himawari, Hinata."

The way Naruto said it made Hinata feel very bad. She was clearly supposed to know these children. Hinata gasped lightly and blushed once more as Naruto grabbed her shoulders and brought her closer to him. "You do remember giving birth to them... Right, Hinata?" His voice sounded urgent.

_What._ It wasn't even a question at this point. "Gi-g-g-giving birth?" Hinata whispered hoarsely. "They're my kids?"

Naruto's grip on her shoulders tightened and nodded firmly. "... You're twenty-seven." Hinata couldn't believe it, no pun intended and the look on Naruto's face matched how Hinata was beginning to feel inside. "Don't you remember us getting married, Hinata?!"

Married.

_Married._

**Married.**

Hinata felt like she couldn't get enough circulation to the brain. It felt harder to breathe! And for the third time in a row, Hinata felt her eyes rolling to the back of her head. _I can't believe I married Naruto-kun..._

And unbeknownst to the now unconscious blunette herself, she had said her last thought aloud.

This time, Naruto's blood ran cold.

His wife couldn't remember anything about their relationship.

* * *

_**A/n:**_ and that's the end of my lovely chapter 1, I hope you all enjoyed it.

And I once, again I apologize for any OOC-ness and any general bad writin and the more-than-likely-misleading-subject-title I gave for the story. I just felt that Hinata would be less stuttery around young people she's trying to rescue compared to her crush and other situations. I particularly enjoyed writing the part where Hinata met Bolt and Himawari for the first time. Here she is trying to be Super Hina and then they crush her with the power of 'Mom-you're-being-weird' kryptonite. And I hope I made her reactions to being called Mom and 'Wife' by the kids and Naruto authentic for her character. As I stated earlier, I welcome all advice and critiques.

Also, to answer any questions as to Bolt's eye colour. I _**know** _that in the manga, his eyes are _**blue** _like Naruto's, but in his official character scans he is depicted with **_lavender_ **eyes with pupils. And while I normally would go with the manga colouring, I quite enjoy Bolt's eyes being lavender as it's close to the idea of Bolt or Himawari having the Byakugan. So I decided to incorporate that into my story.

_**Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!**_

_**Preview - **_Chapter Two: The Uzumaki Family: "Kaa-chan are you feeling better?" "Erm, yes... All better now!" "Then can you play me today with me like you promised?"


	2. The Uzumaki Family

Road to Hinata Uzumaki

**A/n:**

Hi again, I have once again returned with another update and I would like to thank everyone who faved, followed, and reviewed this story! I was genuinely surprised that it got so many views in one day and I was happy that all of you were able to confirm that no one was OOC. That was biggest fear because I've never written a character like Hinata before, I still adore her though. I'd also like to thank my beta and friend on tumblr themultifandomnerd for helping me out through this endeavor, you rock! I decided it would be best for me to upload as many chapters as I could before winter break ended and school took over my life again, and I've already written out a few chapters ahead of time on paper so... Why not.

Anyway, in this chapter we get more Naruto and Hinata interactions and Hinata bonding with Boruto and Himawari. Honestly, we can all tell from that little clip with Bolt and Himawari that the Uzumaki household is one full of so much love and care. *sniffle* It's so adorable.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter again and advice and critique are always loved.

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did, Naruto and Gaara wouldn't have gotten those hair cuts in 700.**

+Chapter Two: The Uzumaki Family+

_Hinata felt like she couldn't get enough circulation to the brain. It felt harder to breathe! And for the third time in a row, Hinata felt her eyes rolling to the back of her head. **I can't believe I married Naruto-kun...**_

_And unbeknownst to the now unconscious blunette herself, she had said her last thought aloud._

_This time, Naruto's blood ran cold._

_His wife couldn't remember anything about their relationship._

~';'~

Naruto stared down at Hinata as she lay asleep on their bed.

His normally bright eyes were dark, his arms crossed. He was very disturbed by the events that had taken place earlier. The blonde admits, he noticed his wife was acting strange, but he believed that was because she was just working too hard. After all, compared to himself, Hinata may have had more free time but she was still often very busy with various tasks tiring her throughout the day. He remembered the day Hinata told him why she worked so hard, _"I'm not just going to slack off now because I'm now with the greatest shinobi ever, Naruto-kun! So don't worry about the other things, I'll take care of it."_ Naruto felt a small smile come spread across his face and he grazed her soft cheek with his hand.

"Hinata..."

_Naruto walked the path to his and Hinata's house with a tired yawn._

_"Darn you Kakashi-sensei-ttebayo..." The blonde growled under his breath as approached the stairs that lead to the front door. He felt especially tired that day. Ever since Kakashi had chosen him to become the next Hokage, the pervy gray-haired ninja had used any excuse he could get to get Naruto to do his paperwork._

_Of course Naruto hadn't minded in the beginning, but his opinion on the matter quickly changed after he actually witnessed the amounts of paperwork Kakashi had. The blue-eyed male kicked a rock as he continued his shortened walk, he needed to take his frustration out on _something_. Another yawn escaped his jaws. _The first thing I'll do when I'm Hokage is put that geezer in a nursing home-ttebayo!_ Naruto gave a wicked a grin. _Then he'll be doing_ my _extra paperwork! We'll see how you like it then, huh?!

_The blonde held back a cackle of evil laughter but soon the only thing he was holding back was another yawn. Naruto approached his stairs and sighed. "I just wanna lay in bed next to Hinata." He let out a pleased smile._

_After a long night of paperwork, he believed he deserved it. As he pulled out his keys, Naruto couldn't help but wonder if Hinata was still awake._

_Ever since Naruto's guarantee of becoming the next Hokage and his increase in working hours, it had become an unspoken tradition for Hinata to stay awake until he returned. But on occasions, Hinata would already be sleeping. But Naruto didn't mind; he didn't want his other half to be really tired because she was up waiting for him._

_Then with a slight bit of impatience, Naruto opened his door to see his children automatically sprinting to the door._

_"Tou-chan!"_

_Naruto caught Boruto and Himawari firmly, one child in each arm. "Wow," Boruto's lavender eyes shone happily. "We never get to see you this late-ttebassa!"_

_"I really missed you, Tou-chan!" Himawari's face was graced with a large smile of her own._

_With that Naruto couldn't bring himself to lecture his kids like he had originally planned to. _I guess I really am puddy when it comes to my little princess._ Naruto grinned inwardly as he closed the door with his foot, somehow awkwardly managing to lock it again. "What are you two doing up so late," he tried to sound firm. "Does your mother no your awake?" Naruto scanned the living room, but he could see the light on in Himawari's room. It was strange that the kids would be up and that Hinata was no where in sight._

_"... Where's your Kaa-chan?"_

_Himawari was the one who answered, "She's sleeping in my room." She had an innocent look in her blue eyes._

_Naruto cocked an eyebrow and looked at Bolt for confirmation. The younger blonde nodded, "Kaa-chan was acting really weird." That was all it took to convince Naruto to head straight his daughter's room. And when he saw Hinata, there she was passed out across Himawari's bed in an awkward manner as if Boruto and Himawari themselves tried to place her on the bed gently. "She acted like she didn't know Himawari and me," Naruto wanted to bite on his finger nails with worry. "And she said she was fourteen."  
_

_"F-fourteen?"_

_Bolt nodded again and Naruto snorted loudly, trying to stile his laughter._

_He placed Boruto and Himawari down and picked Hinata up bridal style, "I'm gonna go and put Kaa-chan in our bed, okay?"_

_"Haaai!" The blonde boy and blunette girl said in unison and Naruto shushed them gently, a smile on his face._

_"We don't wanna wake up Kaa-chan, right?" He got a quieter 'haaai' in return and he smiled at them once more before turning to go to his and Hinata's master bedroom. The blankets were already pulled back and so were the curtains, Naruto noticed. He guessed that more-than-likely she awoke to gaze up into the stars. That was one of the many things Naruto had found out when had began courting Hinata, one of the things she loved to do was gaze up at the stars._

_Naruto placed his wife on her side of the bed and tucked her in, brushing her hime-style bangs with his fingers. "I told you not to push yourself so much-ttebayo." The blonde whispered affectionately as he gazed at his wife with loving eyes. Her forehead felt normal, but Naruto wanted to make sure she was well-rested._

_"Tou-chan."_

_Naruto looked over his shoulder to see the outline of Boruto's figure in his door way, "Yeah?"_

_Bolt sounded as if he was afraid to ask, "Kaa-chan is okay, right?"_

_"Yeah," the Uzumaki patriarch walked over to his son and ruffled his hair reassuringly. "She's gonna be just fine. Kaa-chan was just tired earlier that's all."_

_The answer seemed to be good enough for Naruto's normally rambunctious son. "I helped Kaa-chan get on Hima's bed." He puffed out his chest widely. "Well Himawari helped a little too." But he sounded a little miffed to add that part._

_"I'm very proud of you, Boruto," and when Naruto saw Himawari approach his room with her teddy wrapped in her arms. "And you too, Hima. You guys did a good job in helping your mother while I was gone." He gave them both onesided hugs. "Now you two have to go to bed now."_

_Boruto groaned automatically. "But there's not even any school tomorrow." The blonde leaf-head protested._

_"That's no excuse, you still have to get your full hours of rest." Naruto crossed his arms giving his son a firm look. "Now come on, let me tuck you into bed." That was when Naruto made the worst possible mistake he could have in that moment; he looked into his daughter's big blue eyes. They were round, wide, and looked as if they were moistening from tears._

_"But we haven't seen you all day..." Himawari snuggled into the crook of her teddy's neck. "Can't we just watch one movie?"_

Oh no. _Naruto gulped._ Come on Naruto. This isn't so hard, you've faced the Akatsuki! You've faced Madara! You punched a god! All you have to do is say 'no', it's easy!_ Naruto looked over his shoulder to where his wife lay. He really wanted to snuggle next to her. _And besides what would Hinata say! She would tell me I'm spoiling her and she's right! So I gotta buckle down-_ "You two pick the movie and we'll go in the living room and make a fort. Tou-chan just has to put his pajamas on." Naruto said at last with a sigh of pure and utter defeat._

_The Uzumaki siblings expressions brightened immediately. "Really?" Boruto whisper shouted. "Come on Himawari!"_

_"I wanna pick, Nii-chan!"_

_Naruto watched as his two children run down the hall and turn down into the living room. He chuckled nervously as he looked over Hinata's sleeping form. She looked so beautiful and at peace. "Sorry looks like I lost again, Hinata-chan. Oyasumi(good night)." The Hokage-to-be then changed into a simple pair of sweats and then kissed his wife tenderly on the lips before walking out into the hall._

_Closing the door, and then proceeding to open another in order to pull out three large and thick blankets._

Those small moments from the previous night before were really all Naruto needed as reassurance that Hinata was alright. That was what he promised Boruto after all. And even though she had appeared alright physically, it had become quite clear that mentally, she was not. His lavender-eyed wife trully believed she was fourteen. Her behaviour had confirmed that. At first, Naruto simply believed she was flushed that he had gotten up early and made her breakfast. But now he knew it was because she was once again extremely shy around him.

A sigh escaped Naruto's lips.

Luckily, Boruto and Himawari weren't asking too much. All Naruto had told them when they had come in earlier to check on their mother's well-being was that Hinata was still very tired. So through out the entirety of the day thus far, the two siblings played quietly with one another going back and forth between staying in the house and going back outside to play.

Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his hands tightly. "Hinata..." His blue eyes had a clear fire of determination in them. "I promise I'll help you get better."

-xxx-

Hinata stretched her body slowly as she woke up, feeling as if she had been training for hours.

_I had the strangest dream last night..._ Hinata thought groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes. The amount of falling unconscious she did in her dreams were tiring, and very embarrassing. But her dream was the cause of it, her imagination going way more out of control than it normally did.

The dream had started off normal enough, she was the Team Eight training grounds talking to her teammates. But then the moment she decided to begin training, an ear-splitting headache that felt like she was getting the Cursed Bird Seal rendered her unconscious. Then when she woke up, she found herself in a house with two mysterious, albeit beautiful children, that then claimed to be her children causing her to faint again. However, the craziest part of the dream, is when she woke up in the same house once more but this time an older Naruto was there. He was flirty with her and acted super familiar with her, and then to top it all off he said they were married and that they had two kids.

Hinata felt the blood rush to her cheeks just remembering it.

_Come on Hinata calm down..._ She took a sharp breath as she brought herself together with a much needed pep talk. _It was just a drea...m..._ Hinata stopped herself as she felt long hair draped over her shoulders. And the room she was in was still the same and right next to the bed, there was a dresser that had a tray with a bowl of soup on it and it had been reheated.

A light blush spread across Hinata's cheeks as she silently came to the realization that she was indeed, no longer dreaming.

"Naruto-kun..." _I married him._ To say Hinata was surprised was an understatement; Hinata was shocked. "I actually married Naruto-kun... ! And we have two children..." Images of Boruto and Himawari's round and concerned faces flash through her mind, and the blunette felt a small surge of pride. Those two adorable children were her's. Hinata had always wanted children that looked like her, but now that it was true... It didn't feel right.

_Grrrr._

Hinata directed her gaze to the bowl of soup beside her.

She was rather hungry, so with a small piece of hesitance Hinata placed the tray on her lap and began to eat it. It tasted delicious and tasted like the soup her mother used to make her when she was younger!

_Did I make this?_ Hinata wondered. She wasn't much of cook as a teenager, so maybe it was a skill she acquired when she grew up. Hinata's grip on her spoon tightened.

She was now certain of a few things. One, she was now in the body of her future self. Two, she may and or may not have the Cursed Bird Seal. Three, she had two beautiful children. And four, she was no longer Hinata Hyuga, but _Hinata Uzumaki_.

When Hinata finished her breakfast she stood up and made the bed. No matter her age, she was still uncomfortable being in an unfamiliar room and leaving the bed unmade. Then with a breath of build up courage, Hinata picked up her tray and opened the door and left the room that had been confirmed to be one she shared with her husband, Naruto. The wooden floor was cool on Hinata's feet.

The house was quiet. It surprised Hinata considering how young her children were. She expected them to be running around, but their room doors were closed so she guessed that maybe that they were outside playing.

When Hinata entered the living room she gave it a thorough look this time, now that she didn't believe she was kidnapped. It was spacey with a cute, light brown coffee table in the middle with two yellowish chairs around it. But what Hinata really noticed was the the mirror in the right hand corner of the room and she gasped when she finally saw herself for the first time.

Like she had discovered earlier, her hair had grown all the way down to her rear. But it was also a darker blue, looking fuller with more volume and shinier. Her face had become less round and more oval-shaped, making her look more adult-like and her eyes had a more mature look about them. Like they had seen more than Hinata's youthfulness let on, but Hinata could hardly believe that with how doe-eyed she was looking at her reflection. _I look so..._

Elegant.

Mature.

And dare Hinata say it, beautiful, even in her pajama wear which just a large light gray t-shirt and knee-length purple-gray shorts.

Hinata walked quickly over to the mirror and felt awestruck. Then she felt relief as she moved her bangs for a brief moment; she didn't have the Cursed Bird Seal. That was she noticed the dresser that was underneath it; it was full of pictures of both Hinata and Naruto and of Himawari and Boruto. The first one she noticed right away was the picture in the middle, it was of her and Naruto and they were both dressed in Kimono's. Naruto grinning and winking at the camera and Hinata smiling in a it-can't-be-helped expression. Her stomach was round in the picture, she was pregnant. The picture was also framed by four other pictures two on each side of Naruto and Hinata.

On the side next to Hinata were pictures of Himawari. The one on top was picture was Himawari as an infant, lifting herself up smiling gummily at the camera. The one on the bottom had Hinata in it and she was smiling at and holding a baby Himawari up and forward, Himawari's tiny blue eyes were wide with curiosity.

Then on the side with Naruto, were all the pictures with Boruto. The first one was one with Boruto as a baby, looking up at the camera from what looked to be a bed. He looked like he was a month old in that one. Then on the bottom picture was both Boruto and Naruto, smiling and holding up peace signs.

Hinata took a shaky breath. This was her family.

Other pictures included a picture of Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten, the four of them grouping together for a picture smiling widely. They all looked beautiful and Hinata noticed the redness of her lips and wondered what the occasion was. Then another picture was one of Hanabi, sitting in the Hyuga head seat she had become the next head of the Hyuga after all. The last two pictures was one with Neji in it, with a small smile but he looked content and the one next to it was one of the Fourth Hokage and a woman with long, straight red hair.

That struck a cord of wonder. Hinata couldn't deny the similarity between the Naruto and the Fourth Hokage's looks, but that didn't explain why Naruto had a picture of him.

"Those are some really nice pictures, aren't they?"

Hinata jumped lightly and looked over her shoulder, it was Naruto. He had been on the balcony and he had opened the sliding glass door, popping his head inside. Hinata felt embarrassed for not noticing. But after she saw her reflection, her immediate surroundings got pushed aside and she fell in awe.

Not knowing what to say, Hinata nodded.

Naruto took the tray from her hands, "Don't worry, I'll wash this for you later."

Hinata nodded slightly. "Ano... Where are Boruto and Himawari?" Her opal-tinted eyes looked around for the two once more.

The blonde re-emerged from the kitchen, "Oh they're outside." He answered smoothly. "I was just on the balcony to keep an eye on them, Boruto's always getting into some kind of trouble."

So Hinata's future son had inherited Naruto's mischief, the blunette fought the urge to giggle. "I see..."

Naruto walked back onto the balcony and seeing some sandals next to it that looked like hers, Hinata slipped them on her feet and followed him. She looked down below, and there was Boruto and Himawari playing what seemed to be a game of tag with a group of children. She smiled softly at the sight. "They seem very sweet." Naruto didn't say anything, but he made a noise that sounded as if he was agreeing with her. "Naruto-kun..." Hinata could no longer avoid the inevitable conversation. "I believe that I might've 'jumped' through time."

Hinata turned her head to look at her childhood crush. He had a hard look on his face. "I guess that explains why Boruto said you thought you were fourteen." He said weakly as if he were trying to lighten the situation. "And that explains what happened this morning, too."

Hinata quickly turned around and bowed. "I'm so sorry!"

Naruto quickly made her stop. "It isn't your fault or anything, Hinata!" He reassured her. "You're the victim here, not me. I'm gonna bring someone to help us later though, so don't worry Hinata. We'll solve this together."

The young woman stopped her bowing and twiddled her fingers together. Naruto was treating her so sweetly. She was still trying to accept the fact that this wasn't a dream and actually reality. "We... We actually get married?" Hinata couldn't believe that no matter how many times she heard it.

"Yeah," Naruto answered. "I was really blind. Always chasing after Sakura-chan like that, and ignoring the fact that I already had you all along." The whiskered man smiled at her. "I'm just glad you never stopped loving me and fell in love with someone else."

Hinata blushed immediately and looked away, her heart pounding furiously. _Naruto-kun just said that to me!_ Hinata felt a shudder of glee spread down her spine. _He _married_ me!_ He was now giving her the loving glance that Hinata always wished he would direct towards her and not the pink-haired kunoichi she had also secretly admired. She never really talk to Sakura much, but she knew that Hinata was once shy like her but then she became a loud, proud girl that didn't take crap from her bullies anymore. Hinata wanted to be more assertive too. Speaking of Sakura, Hinata was surprised. Naruto actually got over her?

"How is Sakura-san now?" Hinata asked.

"She's fine, she's the head medic at the Konoha hospital now." Naruto had a look of pride as he talked about how much his pink-haird friend had grown. "She's Boruto and Himawari's godmother."

Hinata felt a pang of insecurity. Was that because Naruto still wanted some tie to his 'past' feelings for Sakura. That was when Naruto continued talking, "I not gonna lie, I was a little surprised when you chose her. But you guys became really close friends."

I _chose Sakura-san?_ Hinata blinked in surprise. "We did?"

She received another nod of confirmation, "You told me she was your main push when it came to pairing us together." He grinned. "I always knew Sakura-chan would keep me from doing stupid things! Imagine if I was stupid enough to ignore you." He shivered as he mentioned the possibility.

Another blush spread across Hinata's cheeks. Sakura was the one who supported her feelings for Naruto most? She felt guilty for suddenly suspecting the conclusion she had came to earlier. Lavender-coloured eyes looked up, looking across the buildings of Konoha then she looked up even more and finally saw the Hokage monument. Her family lived close by to it.

There was still the faces of Hashirama, Tobirama, Sarutobi, the Fourth, Tsunade (while that was a more recent addition of carved faces in Hinata's time), and Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei became the sixth Hokage?"

"Uh huh," Naruto replied. "A lot of things have changed here in Konoha since your time. This is now the Village of the Dancing Leaves."

Hinata looked at Naruto in surprise. "Dancing...?"

Naruto gave her a nod, "We'll take all this new information one day at a time but, basically, we have no reason for the shinobi to hide anymore."

Hinata nodded back at him in return and then looked back up at the Hokage Monument. _Hmm?_ Hinata blinked a couple of times, then gasped. Right next Kakashi's face was half of a face, still being carved. It was strange in the fact that it was being built from the chin up, but nonetheless, the face was there. "Naruto-kun, who's face is that?"

"Mine." Naruto's voice was full of pride. "It'll be done in about two months, they said my hair's gonna take the longest."

Hinata gasped happily. He accomplished his goal from his childhood! "You're Hokage now?"

"Nah," Naruto answered. "Almost. It's up for offer, but I wanted to wait until the face was finished before becoming the next leader of Hokage. I feel like there's a lot more for me to learn." He looked at Hinata sheepishly. "And when I get the job officially I'm gonna be gone a lot, I kind of already am. And well, Himawari might have given me the puppy eyes to prolong my promotion."

Hinata giggled. So Naruto was a total softie when it came to his daughter.

Hinata looked back down at the ground below to check up on what the children were doing now. They were still playing tag and it looked as if Himawari was it, the speed of the game changing so she could keep up to them all. And when she managed to tag the person she was pursuing, Naruto shouted proudly. "Good job, Himawari!"

Himawari looked up with a large smile on her face, "I did, Tou-chan!" Then her cerulean blue eyes spotted Hinata. "Ohayou, Mama!" She waved her hand rapidly.

A bit surprised, Hinata then smiled and waved back. "Ohayou!" She called back.

The young Uzumaki girl ran a bit closer so she didn't have to yell as much, now abandoning the game she was playing. "Mama are you feeling better?!"

Hinata wasn't even sure that the answer for that question was positive. "Erm, yes..." She didn't need to worry her adorable daughter any longer. "Mama's all better now!"

The smile on Himawari's face spread further on her face, "Then can you play with me today like you promised?!"

Hinata looked over at Naruto. Would it be okay? She wasn't sure if it would be alright with the condition she was in now, but her doubts flew out the window when Naruto gave her a smile of approval. Hinata turned her head back in her daughter's direction. "Yes!"

Himawari disappeared as she headed towards her house. Hinata felt excited, she couldn't wait to bond with her daughter. She then spotted Boruto, "Do you want to play with us, too?!" She called out, wanting to bond with her son as well.

Boruto looked at his friends and then his mother. He didn't want to seem like it, but he was worried about the events that had taken place earlier. His mother didn't recognize him. But she seemed normal now. "See ya, Shikadai." He said at last to his best friend, Shikadai Nara. The boy was currently yawning.

"Yeah sure thing," The black-haired boy waved lazily. "I can finally go sleep now." Like his father before him, Shikadai was usually lazy and wanting to sleep. The only reason he played in the first place was because Boruto had begged him too.

The blonde boy snickered at his friend's laziness and then ran up the stairs that lead to his house.

~';'~

"Ahh it's a dragon!" Himawari screamed gleefully and pulled Hinata around her room as Boruto chased them, roaring.

Hinata wanted to laugh, but she yelped in fear as to entertain her daughter.

The game they had ended up playing was Queens and Dragons, and Hinata felt as if they had played this game before because Boruto had groaned earlier when Himawari suggested it. But they ended up playing nonetheless and Hinata loved it. She had also changed her clothes as well taking off her pajamas and was now wearing a light purple blouse and light blue capris. Naruto had played with them a little to, but then he had left, much to the children's disappointment. However they cheered when Hinata tickled their chins and the game started up again.

"Run, Mama the dragon's coming!"

"I'm running as fast as I can Himawari!"

"Raaawr I'm gonna eat you cuz I hate queens!"

Himawari squealed. "Nooo!"

Hinata fell overdramatically and Boruto jumped and landed on her lap. "Run Himawari, the dragon," Hinata gasped slowly. "It's got me!"

"Mama noo!" Himawari cried, trying to pull Hinata away from Boruto's grasp.

Boruto laughed an evil laugh, "Now to get the little Queen!" He slunk over Hinata's 'dead' body and crouched towards Himawari. "Prepare to be eaten!"

Then front door creaked open and Boruto and Himawari stopped their game automatically. "Tou-chan!" Boruto yelled and he ran out of Himawari's room excitedly.

"Tou-chan!" Himawari ran out too. "C'mon Mama!"

Hinata lifted herself up off the floor and had a warm smile as she stared at the spots Boruto and Himawari were just standing. It had only been a couple of hours, but they were already beginning to have a place in her heart. "I'm coming." She walked into the hall way and began her way to the living room, she heard voices.

"Hi, Auntie Ino." Himawari said.

"Well, hello there Himawai-chan." Said the voice of a woman. "You're getting prettier every time I see you."

Then Boruto said something, "Hey, Uncle Shikamaru."

"Shikadai said you were playing earlier." Replied a man.

"Yup!"

_Ino-san? Shikamaru-san?_ Hinata finally entered the living room entrance.

Aside from Naruto, Boruto, and Himawari there were two extra adults. A man and a woman.

The woman's blonde hair was up in a ponytail and she had on a purple top and dress-skirt. Her blue eyes twinkled. And beside her was basically an exact replica of the man known as Shikaku Nara.

Hinata held back a gasp as the woman waved, "Hey there, Hinata."

These were the adult appearances of her former classmates: Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara.

* * *

_**A/n:**_ chapter 2 end.

Here you all are, another finished chapter for you all to read at your leisure. I hope you all enjoyed it. There was a whole bunch Hima cuteness and Boruto trying to act like the tough young son and Hinata being overwhelmed with the cuteness and a proud Papato bonding with his son and daughter! And we also got some sad!Naruto action as well, after all if he touches his wife now she'll faint. _Oh the humanity!_

But also, this question has answered the question some may have had, whether or not Naruto has become Hokage. No. Not yet anyway, but as Naruto stated it's going to be happening very soon. As soon as they finished carving his face in the Hokage Monument, until then he's just busy doing paperwork Kakashi is too lazy to do and receiving advice as to how to be a great Hokage for Konoha. Continuing on though, we've got Ino and Shikamaru and even Shikadai making their appearances. And more characters are gonna be introduced soon! Tata!

_**Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!**_

_**Preview - **_Chapter Three: Ino-Shika But no Chou: "Alright guys, this a big secret. S-rank." "I think I know it's a big secret from how much you rambled about it earlier blondie!" "Hey you're a blonde too!" "Can we get this along now, I just wanna go home."


	3. Ino-Shika but no Chou

Road to Hinata Uzumaki

**A/n:**

I am so sorry it took me so long to update but now that my real life moving problems have finally disappeared, here is the next chapter for you all to enjoy! (That awkward moment when all your teachers think it's okay to dish out a lot of homework every week...)

Hinata has had some time to bond with Boruto and Himawari, and even got to see her future self's beauty. And now she's met Future!Ino and Future!Shikamaru, time for serious business.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter again and advice and critique are always loved.

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did, Hinata would've married my OC, lol.**

+Chapter Three: Ino-Shika but no Chou+

_Aside from Naruto, Boruto, and Himawari there were two extra adults. A man and a woman._

_The woman's blonde hair was up in a ponytail and she had on a purple top and dress-skirt. Her blue eyes twinkled. And beside her was basically an exact replica of the man known as Shikaku Nara._

_Hinata held back a gasp as the woman waved, "Hey there, Hinata."_

_These were the adult appearances of her former classmates: Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara._

~';'~

Hinata couldn't help but gawk as she glanced up at Ino and Shikamaru from her tea.

Once again Boruto and Himawari were outside, Naruto instructing them that the adults had 'adult stuff' to talk about. They both left without too much trouble, though Bolt had a miffed expression when he did. Now Hinata was sitting at the dining room table, Ino, Shikamaru, and Naruto taking their own seats around her. She didn't think that Naruto would get the help he was talking about earlier so soon. But at the same time, Hinata reasoned, the normally cheerful Uzumaki probably couldn't deal with the woman who became his wife being stuck as a mental teenager.

So far, everyone was silent.

But that didn't last as Ino finally broke it, "So Hinata," she had a mischievous twinkle her blue eyes. "Naruto seemed pretty panicked when he asked for me and this lazy bum to come over. Trouble in paradise?"

A crimson mask spread over Hinata's face quickly. She couldn't believe Ino just said that, especially about her and Naruto! "I-I-I-Ino-san!" Hinata mentally winced. Working on her occasionally stutter would be something she wanted to have fixed quickly while she was stuck in her future body, and when she went back to her own time as well.

Naruto slammed his cup on the table, a small blush of his own on his cheeks much to Hinata's surprise. "Shut up, Ino!"

Ino just laughed. Hinata could tell that the brash, hot-headed girl hadn't changed a bit in her usual shameless nature. Normally that would be a relief, but now that it was the cause of the blush on her face Hinata wasn't so sure now.

"I'm just joking, Bakato." Ino said once her laughing fit was finished. Despite the nickname she had used, her body language gave off nothing but playfulness.

"So what's the reason you needed us?" Shikamaru finally spoke aloud, his own black eye having a twinkle of amusement. "I usually don't have time off between you and everybody else I end up dealing with on a daily basis, so make it quick."

Naruto sighed in relief at the subject change and crossed his arms. "Alright." The blonde male's blush was no longer evident and his jaws were set firmly as his eyes expressed seriousness and swept around the table. Hinata felt a surge of admiration for the patriarch of the household, she could tell that he came a long way since his days as a genin. He would be a great leader. "Guys," Naruto began once more. "This is a big secret. S-rank." He paused dramatically, trying to let the fact sink in.

The other kunoichi at the table rolled her eyes, "I think I know it's a big secret from how much you rambled about it earlier blondie!"

"Hey you're a blonde too!" Naruto protested, shooting Ino a look of frustration.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the antics of the 'arguing' blondes, "Can we get this along now, I just wanna go home." The stragetic shadow-user yawned. The usual look of apathy was still prevalent in Shikamaru's future-self, Hinata noted as she continued to observe the changes of her fellow shinobi.

_Did Ino-san and Shikamaru-san marry each other too?_ The blunette wondered. It was a plausible theory considering how close the two were from when Hinata was back in her time. But Hinata mentally shook her head. The same thing could be said about Ino and Chouji's relationship as well. Speaking of which... Hinata cleared her throat quietly, "Erm," she felt slightly pressured when Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru's gaze turned in her direction. "Where is Chouji-san?"

Ino shrugged, "Knowing him, haggling a restaurant owner to lower the price of their special." Her blue eyes looked pointedly over at the Kyuubi container and Hinata couldn't help but glance as well. "But apparently Chouji wasn't needed for this oh-so-super-secret secret Naruto was going on about." Naruto didn't say anything, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the table.

With a feeling of guilt Hinata brought her hands into her lap, her fingers grasping one another tightly. Whether it be the past or future, a look of frustration was something the Byukugan-user disliked seeing on her crush's face.

"Well let's just get on with this then," Naruto said with a sigh and a firm look in his eyes. "It's about Hinata." He paused once more and glanced over in the direction of the aforementioned 'Hyuga'. "This is the Hinata from the past."

"..."

"..."

There was a pause.

Shikamaru blinked, feeling unintelligent for a second. Black eyes met blue, Shikamaru's gaze being one of suspicion and Naruto's being clear. Not that the shadow-user didn't trust the future Hokage, he had plenty of both trust and faith in who used to be called Konoha's Number One Maverick Ninja. That was one of the main reasons the Nara was adamant in becoming his advisor after Kakashi finally stepped down. "The Hinata..." Shikamaru swept his gaze over to Hinata who was now finding an interest in the table. "From the past?"

Hinata nodded quickly, not wanting to lift her gaze up to see the disbelief from the older people in front of her. "In my time, Naruto has been gone with Jiraiya-sama for a year..."

"Yeah," Naruto's voice sounded tired and doubtful. "I couldn't believe it myself this morning and at first, I just thought she was fatigued from overworking. But there's too much evidence that it isn't now. She didn't even recognize Boruto and Himawari."

There was an instant kunai of guilt to Hinata's heart. That must've been something very painful for the them. Even though it hadn't been long since Hinata had met the two of them, Hinata could tell that both Bolt and Himawari were bright-natured children. So seeing their mother not acting as if she had no idea who they were had probably dampened their spirits and that was just as unbearable as remembering the constant looks of disapproval from her father, maybe even more so.

Naruto picked the conversation back up again, "So that's why I brought you guys," he tried his best in giving an optimistic half-smile. "I was hoping that maybe there was some Yamanaka mind technique that could explain this, or at the very least Shikamaru could help theorize any other plausible reasons."

Ino finally piped up, "This is Hinata from the past?" The blonde woman had a disgruntled look of her own. "As much as I know you're completely serious about this, I can't help but find this kind of suspicious. Didn't you ever consider that maybe this is actually a fake the entire time?" Hinata looked up at Ino with a gasp. "We may be in a time of peace, but there's always a possibility that this could be some kind of spy from another village trying to find out Konoha's plans with it's future Kage?"

"Of course I considered that!" Naruto retorted.

"It wouldn't make that much sense though, or rather, it would be stupid_ to_ do so." Shikamaru answered as well, albeit calmer than his Uzumaki companion. "This is the first time in ages that all the shinobi villages are at peace with one another at the same time, with trade, shinobi switching villages, and even having diplomats come over without any attempt of sabotage looking back on our previous relationship with Kumo. With these conditions, none of the current Kages would actually consider doing something to cause a rift in the peace we've all established."

"But there's still a possibilty," Ino argued. "There's no guarantee and with that in mind, I say that we should keep her under surveillance for the time being until we're shown otherwise she's actually Hinata or not."

Hinata's heart once again began to beat rapidly, and any confidence the girl may have had began to dissipate. Beside her Naruto protested, "If she really was a spy I would've been able to tell, Ino! I know how Hinata acts and does things so there'd be no way I wouldn't notice. Besides, a spy would recognize the son and daughter of the future Hokage!"

"Unless they were uninformed of the possibility of children being in the Uzumaki household. And mannerisms aside, look at how this 'Hinata' is acting." A cold blue gaze directed towards Hinata and the blunette flinched before she could attempt to stop herself. "My father taught me about body language and the signs to look out for if someone is guilty or not. She's fidgeting, expressing avoidance in the situation, and her lack of response is indicating that more than likely, she can't defend herself against this accusation simply because she has a lack of background information to go off. Hinata may have been shy, but she was never a guilty party in any situation."

There was another pause in the conversation as Hinata tried desperately to calm herself down. Her throat began to constrict and she was sure that she felt sweat on her hands. _What do I do?!_ But as expected, there no response other than the silence of her mind.

This time, it was Shikamaru that broke the silence at the table. "I hate to admit this, Naruto, but Ino does have a point." The strategist gave Naruto a look of just barely noticeable sympathy. "We should probably alert Kakashi and then discuss how to put her under some kind of surveillance that won't worry the kids."

Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his left fist tightly. "Can't you just check her mind, Ino?!"

"When we get the Hokage involved."

An argument was about to burst between the two blondes. Hinata glanced at Shikamaru and blinked in a surprise manner when she saw the man staring back at her. His face had an unclear expression, but Hinata could tell that he wasn't going to intervene between the two of them any time soon. Hinata looked down at her hands and bit her lip nervously. _Ino-san... Naruto-kun..._ Hinata took a deep breath, feeling the anxiety in her heart increase but the words forming in her mouth finally bursted out.

"I wouldn't do that to Naruto-kun!" Hinata squeezed her eyes tightly. "I, I know that you all have good reasons for any doubts you have, but I genuinely am Hinata Hyuga! And, I love Himawari and Bolt already too and I don't want to hurt them intentionally, nor Naruto-kun because I know they love being a family... So please... believe me!" The blunette bowed over, her head just barely touching the table. "I won't even fight against anyone because I want to prove my innocence and protect the people I care about, so please Ino-san, Shikamaru-san, believe me!"

When Hinata heard the sound of giggling, she looked up slightly and was surprised to see that Ino now had an amused look on her previously cold face. "I-Ino-san...?"

Ino wiped a laughter tear that had began to well up in her tear, "An impostor probably would've said Hinata Uzumaki if they were saying a speech like that!"

Hinata blinked several times in surprise, "What?"

Naruto was confused as well, "So you're saying you believe she's the real Hinata now?"

"Well, I had my suspicions in the beginning but I figured that she probably was already," Ino admitted, causing Hinata to feel a surge of relief and slight confusion. If Ino had thought there was a possibility of her identity being true, why would she say all those things? "But like I said, there's always that small chance so I just had to make sure."

"Ino! Son of a..." Naruto gripped at his hair in frustration, groaning loudly. "Don't freak me out like that!"

Shikamaru snorted, "Couldn't you have gone the easier route and said that in the beginning?" It was moments like this that really enforced his belief on women being troublesome.

"That would've been to easy," the Yamanaka said with a wink. "I just figured that when came to Naruto, Hinata would try her best at anything even if she was feeling pressured. And with Bolt and Himawari,she's been here for not even a full day and she already loves them? A woman's love is strong for both the man she loves and especially her children." Ino's blue eyes met with Hinata's opal.

Hinata straightened her posture, "You really believe me?"

"Well, I'm still going to check and see though." Ino replied, "But you still have me on your side for the most part, and don't worry I'm not gonna wait for Kakashi to approve of me searching your mind first and have cameras watch you."

Hinata felt her lips upturn into a small smile of relief and clutched at her heart. "Thank goodness."

The mind transfer expert rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "So you ready for this?"

"Yes."

* * *

"This is definitely a past Hinata." Ino said moving a stray blonde hair behind her right ear and slightly drained.

Hinata felt a shaken a bit as well. She may not have actually had to do anything, but allowing Ino - a girl she barely even talked to in her time- pass through her mind completely and with no restrictions was a draining act itself. But from what she could tell from that picture on the dresser, apparently she had become friends with the woman.

Naruto nodded confidently. "See, told you she was." Though he sounded as if he was completely assured, the blonde felt completely the opposite on the inside. He was already positive from the beginning that this was Hinata, her flustered behaviour was enough to confirm that. But the confirmation of his wife's being was a bittersweet victory as this meant that the relationship he had finally established with her, as lovers and as a family, had been completely vanished. Naruto remembered Bolt's question from the night before, his lavender eyes full of concern.

_"Kaa-chan is okay, right?"_

_I don't even know if that's even the right answer anymore._

Yes, he had gotten the confirmation that this was indeed Hinata. But this was Hinata _Hyuga_, not Hinata _Uzumaki_\- the exact same person, but two entirely different people in Naruto's mind. Naruto felt his face begin to grimace but managed to stop it before it became noticeable. His had clinched uncomfortably when he heard Hinata address herself with her maiden name. No more kisses, no more hugs, no more after-work cuddles either. Not unless he wanted to cause her to faint.

"-kun... Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked up, his chain of thought broken as he looked at Hinata.

"Huh?" Ino and Shikamaru were looking at him as well.

Shikamaru sounded a little irritated, "What do you mean 'huh'? We've been trying to get your attention for two minutes."

"Er, sorry?" Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned, a small blush on her face. She still wasn't used to sitting so close to him, the last time she remembered was back when she had first taken the Chunin Exams. Hinata felt a little better when Naruto nodded though she still felt convinced. "Okay..."

Ino cleared her throat, causing everyone to realize they were getting off topic once more. "Anyways, like I said earlier this Hinata, but from what I can tell, I don't think that this actually the work of a Yamanaka jutsu." One of her hands curled thoughtfully around her chin. "We have jutsu ranging from controlling another's body, telepathy, confusing the enemy, and prying through other minds and memories. But the Yamanaka don't have any techniques that would force a time jump like this."

Naruto looked down at the table. "I see."

"We'll both be conducting research though, and while I'm not allowed to look through them, Ino's Clan's technique books will be a great assistance." Shikamaru said. "I'll also try and look over any old documents to see if there's ever been another instance of this happening in the past. One thing that may be able to help is if Sasuke so we could have him check the condition of her chakra."

Hinata was surprised, but in a pleasant way when she heard that name slip from Shikamaru's lips. "Sasuke-san is back?" So Naruto had accomplished his goal after all. She felt very happy for her crush.

"Yeah," Naruto had a smile on his face as he answered her, but it soon went away when he looked back at his soon-to-be advisor. "I can't really be sure as to when Sasuke will actually be returning, but it's been a few months now so probably soon if another month counts as soon anyway." Another frustrated look was on his face.

"And do you think we should get Sakura pretty soon?" Ino asked. "I don't actually think she's encountered a situation like this before, but she'd come up with something though."

Naruto nodded, "I'll tell Sakura-chan pretty soon, I'm just taking telling people about Hinata's condition at a slow pace since I don't want to risk any eavesdropping. I'll probably have to catch her when she isn't busy with her work."

Hinata suddenly felt another burst of guilt. Because of this happening to her, now not only did she add more responsibilities onto Naruto's plate, but others were getting involved because of her incompetence. She wasn't getting stronger at all. "I'm, really sorry everyone." Hinata didn't cry or feel her eyes well up, but she still felt as if she wanted to. "I'm causing you all trouble."

"Don't worry about anything, Hinata." Naruto said instantly, resisting the urge to pull the woman he loved into his chest tightly. "Like I said, you're the one being victimized here so don't feel guilty. I wanna help you 'cause I l-" Naruto stopped himself from saying it. "Know that you want to go back home." The maverick ninja prayed to all the gods he hadn't punched that Hinata hadn't caught his mistake.

"Oh keep the sweet talk private you lovebirds." Ino teased, laughing when she saw how flustered Hinata's face was. "But yeah, Hinata, we're on your side, even Lazymaru over here." She elbowed the goatee man.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Temari calls me that everyday I don't need you doing it too."

_Temari-san?_

"Shikamaru ended up marrying Temari like I wisely predicted." Naruto said, a grin on his face. "They got a kid too, he and Boruto are best friends actually. You can't miss him, looks like a Shikamaru with Temari's eyes. Name's Shikadai."

Hinata blinked. The slightly terrifying blonde Suna kunoichi had actually moved over to Konoha and married Shikamaru? She thought that their relationship was that close, but then again she had never really interacted with the two of them that much either. "Oh, um, congratulations Shikamaru-san!" Hinata had been wrong with the idea that Ino and Shikamaru had married. "Did, you marry anyone Ino-san?"

Ino nodded, "Yeah I married Sai, you don't know him but you meet him eventually after Naruto got back from training. He's pretty insensitive and clueless, but the guy means well so don't be too hard on him." Hinata nodded, not sure if she would actually get along with this Sai character and coming to the realization that she sucked at guessing who her comrades would marry. "You'll just love my Inojin, he's the only one that actually comes to Ino-Shika-Chou training." When Ino said that last part she had a glare directed towards Shikamaru. "You and Karui-san need to stop letting Shikadai and Chouchou ditch with no repercussions."

"Temari lectured Shikadai last time and made him go so lay off my back."

"So this Karui-san is..." Hinata felt as if her guess would more than likely be correct. "Is Chouji-san's wife and Chouchou..."

"His daughter." Naruto finished. "The new Ino-Shika-Chou are good though, well not as good as our kids though - even with Boruto's pranks."

Hinata's opal eyes met Naruto's cerulean, feeling as if a million butterflies were in her stomach. _**O-our** kids!_ Hinata had thought this plenty of times before, but the fact still had yet to sink in and hearing it come from her childhood crush's mouth made it seem more surreal. Bolt and Himawari Uzumaki were her children. Her and Naruto Uzumaki's children. Naruto married her, and no one else.

_I really... can't believe it._

* * *

_**A/n:**_ chapter 3 end.

Oh my gosh the drama! Hinata's identity has been confirmed and now Naruto is pissed. Will he ever find out who did this to Hinata and will Sasuke come to Konoha soon so they can use his Sharingan to see the status of Hinata's chakra? And when will Sakura not be busy? It's getting clear, the Uchiha family's coming in and where's Sarada? The reviewers may never know... But that all aside, now Hinata's seen the canon of ShikaTema and SaiIno after she assumed they were together.

We got a little less Boruto and Hima action unfortunately, but there is more plot aside from the cute NaruHina babies. But we will see them again!

_**Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!**_

_**Preview - **_Chapter Four: The Village of Dancing Leaves: "Why is the village so different?" "Shino-kun?" "Boruto you idiot!" "Oh shut up four eyes!" "Mama can we visit Uncle tomorrow?"


	4. The Village of Dancing Leaves

Road to Hinata Uzumaki

**A/n:**

And here we are to chapter four! Sorry for the long wait guys and if it makes you feel better, I made the chapter longer so you can enjoy it!

And NaruHina month has sadly come to an end. But I'm not that sad since afterwards I'll get to have fun in SasuSaku month and cry over the fanart. What about you guys? Anybody already planning ahead what they want to do for SS month? I'm planning on making a fic for it since I'll more than likely won't be making fan art. I'm not that sure what to do for it though and knowing me, once I do, I'll end up posting it online way before SS month even happens.

Or should I do something else like an AU or drabble series? I'm thinking of just making a [Road to _] series for each of the kunoichi? I know I have one friend on bored with the idea, and I'm thinking about just doing Sakura next because she's honestly my favorite kunoichi (since I was 8 watching Naruto on CN)... But I like knowing what people who like my works want! So who do you want next? Sakura? Ino? Karui? Temari? Maybe one where we just say Tenten is Lee Jr's mom? I'll let you guys vote on it either by poll (on my profile), review, or straight up PM if you have an idea on some things that could be added in the story and what you'd like to see, etc. (ex. like the time period the kunoichi was in when she was transported to the future).

And OMG the Boruto movie trailers! Oh and speaking of which, I just got used to spelling out Boruto instead so I'll probably be going back to fix that in the previous chapters and now that it's become clear to Hinata about ttebayo/basa, I'm not gonna do that anymore because it's a hassle to add and I always feel like I'll over or under do it.

(And is anyone else reading Naruto Gaiden and enjoying the shitstorm Kishi's creating? LOL)

Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did there would be more promo art and whatnot.**

+Chapter Four: The Village of Dancing Leaves+

_Hinata's opal eyes met Naruto's cerulean, feeling as if a million butterflies were in her stomach. **O-our** kids! Hinata had thought this plenty of times before, but the fact still had yet to sink in and hearing it come from her childhood crush's mouth made it seem more surreal. Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki were her children. Her and Naruto Uzumaki's children. Naruto married her, and no one else._

_**I really... can't believe it.**_

~';'~

_I'm not going to be there when you wake up tomorrow, sorry._  
_Kakashi's going to need me to help him out with his paperwork and probably_  
_some advice. Boruto has school today so hopefully you won't  
__be too lonely being one kid down for a some hours. I hope you have a nice day!_  
_**\- Naruto**_

When Hinata awoke the early next morning and saw that the living room had no trace of Naruto she had been surprised. But her nerves quickly calmed down after reading the note he had left her on the coffee table. Mornings where Naruto wasn't there would have to be expected here since he was now a Hokage-in-training, Hinata thought to herself, though she reminded herself that until a day and night ago she didn't expect to see Naruto at all.

_I wonder when I should wake them up?_ Hinata looked in the direction of her children's rooms. When she was younger, it was Kou that would wake her up and prepare her for another day at the ninja academy. It was now that she wished that she knew some of the things that her future self would do to keep order here in the Uzumaki household. Hinata placed the note back on the coffee table with a small sigh deciding to quickly shower and freshen up before waking Boruto and Himawari up. She had waken up much earlier than whatever time Boruto would have to leave and go study his ninja duties.

A small pang came from Hinata's chest. She didn't want to separate from any of her children even after meeting them not too long ago.

Did her parents ever feel that way when _she_ left everyday to learn the ways of the shinobi? Hinata shook her head, dismissing the thought almost immediately. Her mother, Tomoe, probably had, but Hinata couldn't picture Hiashi missing her. From what Hinata could tell, neither Boruto or Himawari experienced any kind of favoritism from their parents and that made the blunette happy.

When Hinata finally entered the bathroom she took a few seconds to bring it all in that this was the bathroom she shared with her family. It was still a lot less shocking compared to yesterday, but she still hadn't fully adjusted to it. Aside for a few items, the bathroom was neat and had the smell of various kinds of soap and shampoo. Opal eyes glanced lovingly at the toothbrushes that belonged to Boruto and Himawari, Boruto's being a blazing red with a Narutomaki at the bottom of it and Himawari's was green until the tip of the bottom shaped into a sunflower.

A small smile spread on Hinata's lips.

But she quickly shook herself out of it. She could look at her children's things later on when she got Boruto to school safely. So undressing and entering the shower, Hinata made quick work of cleansing herself reaching for the bottle of Minty Rain Forest Mist Shampoo Naruto explained to be hers. Hinata was still slightly embarrassed of her older self's body, but she was able to get over it. Her chest size, for one thing, was something that had already increased in size not too long after the time Naruto had left for training. So it wasn't that much of a surprise, but Hinata was still a little embarrassed and after she finished shampooing her hair she made quick work of cleaning her body.

When Hinata finally finished she nervously went through the collection of clothes she owned currently. In the end she chose to wear a grey long-sleeved shirt underneath a pink shirt, black pants underneath a long cream-coloured skirt with pink horizontal stripes, and decided to wear a pair of brown sandals for when she left the house placing them delicately by the front door. Hinata still wasn't used to the fact that these were the clothes she wore now, but she didn't want to be picky. It was as if she were going through a strangers closet, but this time the stranger was her and the more she began to see of her future self's life, the more of a stranger she became to herself.

Her future self were things Hinata never considered herself to be. Hinata wasn't pretty or good at any kind of motherly duties, yet here she was standing in the home she would one day live in.

"Good morning..."

When Hinata heard the groggy voice she jumped slightly but she calmed her nerves when she saw that it was Boruto, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The blunette gave her son a soft smile, "Good morning, Boruto." She couldn't help but admire how much her son looked like Naruto but still had some of her own features, like the roundness of his face and her eye colour. "Did you sleep well?"

Boruto shrugged, "I don't wanna go to school." He looked around the living room before heading over to the dining room. His father wasn't here, figures.

Hinata giggled. She remembered those feelings of reluctance as well when she was his age. "Do you like the Academy?" She was also very eager to learn more about her son, wanting to know his likes, dislikes, and the like. Same for Himawari.

"It's okay." Boruto sat in a chair at the kitchen table. "It's cool since I get to hang out with Shikadai, but he's been having to go Ino-Shika-Chou training so we hardly hang out afterwards anymore." His lips formed into a pout. He and Shikadai had been best friends since they began their studies at the Academy, Boruto's more rambunctious personality complimenting the more blunt and laidback one Shikadai had. It did get weird once in a while when Himawari wanted to play with them, but they both ignored it and put it on Himawari being a stereotypical little sister.

The name Shikadai rang a bell. _That's Shikamaru-san's son._ "How did you two become friends?"

Boruto thought about it for a second; come to think of it, he didn't know himself. "I don't remember." He yawned for a second before proceeding to open his mouth once more, "What's for breakfast?"

"Oh um," Hinata felt a nervous feeling in her stomach. What _was_ for breakfast this morning? She had no actual skill in cooking and had she known that something like this was going to happen to her, Hinata would've invested in the skill a long time ago. But who could predict something like this happening? "How about you get ready and I'll surprise you?" The invention of breakfast would definitely take a while.

The blonde didn't see anything wrong with that. He got up from his seat and began to head back to his room, "Do you want me to wake up Himawari?"

"Yes, that would be helpful." Hinata said gratefully. Then the moment she saw Boruto disappear around the corner, Hinata entered panic mode. She entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator hoping to find something she could make edible. _Are there any leftovers? _Hinata sighed when she saw none. _Okay what about the cabinets?_ She prayed there would be something in there and after embarrassingly opening the wrong cabinets twice, she rejoiced when she found one that had food. And much to her lucky stars, there were five separate cups of instant ramen. She felt a little ashamed. Her mother would probably scold her, giving her children instant ramen. But Hinata made it a note: learn how to cook while she was here.

"Instant ramen for breakfast?"

Hinata gasped a bit, but her heartbeat calmed when she remembered it was just her and the kids here. She turned and saw Boruto, Himawari groggily at his side. "Er," she felt another small panic. "Do you not want any?"

But a grin spread across Boruto's face, "No way!" He bolted (pun somewhat intended) to his usual seat at the dining table. "You never let us eat ramen for breakfast!" Hinata sighed in relief and then a small smile graced her lips. It seemed Boruto had inherited Naruto's love for ramen, she loved it when she picked any similarities that either child had with their father.

For instance, Himawari's eyes. Hinata knew exactly where the young blunette had gotten them and the whisker marks they both had were a dead giveaway on who they were related to, and she loved that Himawari had gotten hers. The Uzumaki siblings were definitely her children, Hinata's smile increased. Hers and Naruto's.

Himawari's sweet voice broke Hinata out of thought, "Mama, ohayo!" The young girl hugged her mother tightly.

"Ohayou, Himawari." Hinata hugged her back as best as she could with the ramen cups in her hands. But when she pulled back and saw the expression on Himawari's face, she felt her heart drop. "What's wrong?"

Himawari paused, "You don't call me sweetie or honey anymore." Her blue eyes shone with slight hurt. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no!" Hinata shook her head rapidly. "Kaa-san's just been tired lately so she may forget to do somethings time to time."

The answer seemed good enough for Himawari and she took her seat beside Boruto at the table, her small feet kicking up every once in a while. "Where's Tou-chan?" Usually Naruto would eat breakfast with them, but when she got her answer from her older brother grumbling a grouchy 'he's not here' Himawari deflated. She still wasn't used to the new change in her father's work schedule. Usually the longest he'd be gone was for a week or two if he got a mission, and then he'd back for a long time again. Now he was gone for most of the day and even the night. "I want Tou-chan to come back home..."

Hinata felt her mood deflate too as she poured the hot water into her children's ramen cups and thought back a bit. Naruto hadn't said anything about staying away late. "Well maybe Tou-chan will be back for dinner." Her heart rose when a smile appeared on Himawari's face. "So let's just be patient okay, sweetie?" It felt strange to say such a motherly term, but she relished it. "How about you and I walk with Boruto to the Academy?"

Himawari jumped excitedly, "Yes!" Her cerulean eyes looked at Boruto's lavender. "Can we nii-chan?!"

"No way!" He yelled. "No one's parents walks them to the Academy anymore!"

Once again, Himawari's face became dejected and Hinata intervened. "Please?" Her opal eyes gave the best pleading look that she could. "It's nice to be able to spend as much time as possible with your family."

Her son flinched. He was not going to give in, he was Boruto Uzumaki after a- "Fiiineee! Just stop looking at me like that!" He hated when his mother made that sad expression!

"Yay!" Himawari squealed. Her mom's puppy eyes were the best!

_"Himawari you need to sleep! Boruto's sleeping!" Naruto said, an uncomfortable expression on his face._

_The small blunette pouted. "No he isn't!" She looked over in the direction of his room. "We wanna stay up with you and Kaa-chan and watch Big Ninja 6!"_

_Naruto lifted his hands up in a defensive manner. "I said we'd watch tomorrow, though." He should've known better than to tell the kids that he'd purchased the movie they've been wanting to see for months right before they went to bed. But still, it wasn't his fault that they'd taken too long to eat dinner! So they'd just watch it tomorrow!_

_Himawari looked at Hinata, "Kaa-chan? Can we?" She hugged Hinata's waste tightly, blue eyes pleading._

_"Don't ask your mother for help!"_

_But Hinata looked at Naruto with a smile that said 'it-can't-be-helped', "Well maybe just this once?"_

_"No, we've already-" Naruto broke off as he saw Hinata's eyebrows knit and her eyes reflect a certain kind of sadness. "Oh don't give me that look."_

_"Alright..." His wife sighed deeply, patting Himawari's shoulders. "I guess we'll just have to have family time tomorrow, Hima..." She looked back at Naruto. "Tou-chan has already made his decision."_

_Now the guilt was settling in. "..." _Dang it, Hinata!_ "Oh alright, just this once!"_

_Boruto was already running out his room. "Yes!"_

_Naruto gave a weak glare in Hinata's direction._ You win again, Puppy Eyes. But I will defeat you! One day!

Hinata looked at the clock that hung on the wall. "Hmm... It'll be a few minutes until breakfast is ready... Why don't you two get dressed?"

Boruto sighed, but he reluctantly stood up. "Do you want us to brush our teeth?"

Hinata shook her head, "You can do that after you eat." _Is this how the older me is?_ She really hoped she was doing things right, not sure if this was how a mother would act. They weren't on a compound. A large house maybe, but certainly not a compound, and on a compound -or at least, the Hyuga Compound- there were servants that helped Hinata and Hanabi get ready, not Hiashi or Tomoe necessarily. In her weariness she looked back over at the shelf with the many pictures of her family and friends over the years. She really hoped that was the case.

"Kaa-chan, can you brush my hair?" Himawari had shown up once again, wearing her pajama bottoms still but she had a blue shirt and Hinata noticed with a giggle she was missing a sock. She had a paddle brush in her hand.

Hinata took a seat, "Mhmm." And as if this were a normal occurrence, Himawari plopped her rear onto Hinata's lap and handed her the brush. Hinata felt warm as she noticed that despite the way Himawari's hair appeared, it was very soft. It reminded her of her own mother's hair which she used to play with, but it was foreign in the way the texture was. _Maybe it's from Naruto-kun?_ It was possible considering Hinata had never felt it, so she had no idea what it was like. "And... finished!"

Himawari jumped off Hinata's lap happily, "Thank you!"

The blue-haired woman nodded and returned the brush. "Do you need help finding clothes?"

"I can do it!" And Himawari quickly scurried off. That brought another smile onto Hinata's face; it was nice for Himawari -and Boruto since he hadn't come for assistance- to have a good sense of independence.

It didn't take long for the rest.

They ate, the silence filled with Himawari talking about all the things she would do with Hinata while Boruto was at school, and Hinata agreeing. Occasionally Boruto grunted, he was more focused on breakfast. But eventually the time to leave the Uzumaki household came and it nervewracking. _Just act as normal as can be when you see someone you know! Just act as normally as possible when you see someone you know!_Hinata chanted mentally as she grabbed her copy of the keys. Her children were already gathered at the door, Himawari humming as she slipped on her pink shinobi sandals.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Boruto opened the door and bounded forward, his sister on his heels and Hinata followed in a daze after locking up the house. Time to see Konoha as it was to through the eyes of a young mother.

~';'~

Why is the village... So different?

To say Hinata was mindblown over what she was seeing, was an understatement.

What on earth was she looking at?

Since when did Konoha get this technological and the last time she checked, from the buildings she'd observed from her immediate surroundings, none of the buildings she was passing up existed.

Bed, Bath, and Beyond?

Benihana's?

And what was a Ninmart?

"Hey, Kaa-chan!" Boruto's voice sliced through her thoughts like a blunt katana. "The light switched, hurry up!"

"Oh, right!" Hinata scurried after him, her hand tightly clenching Himawari's. Konoha now had these weird signs that glowed specific colours depending on the situation, and now those not in the weird metal things on rubber (cars) had to stick to walking certain paths. Speaking of which. The path she was on, was a path she hadn't recognized. "Boruto, is this a shortcut you take?"

"Course not! You and Tou-chan are always telling me, NO SHORTCUTS." Boruto yelled over his shoulder as another weird metal thing passed by, almost drowning away his voice.

Why was everything so different?! She remembered how Naruto had told her he would help her deal with her new surroundings little by little. New note: Ask Naruto about Konoha's change of pace.

Himawari looked up at Hinata, "Kaa-chan, are you alright?" She asked. "You're making funny faces again."

"I'm right as rain!" Hinata forced a laugh that hopefully sounded genuine. "Are you excited? You'll be walking this path to the Academy soon yourself."

"Uh huh!" The female leafhead nodded. "I'll be strong just like you and Tou-chan!" Himawari could see it now.

Boruto turned around and began walking backwards. "Well it looks like I'll be way stronger than you, because I'm gonna pass up that old man!" He grinned.

"No, I'll be stronger!" Himawari retorted.

Hinata laughed nervously, "How about you'll both be just as strong?"

"Okay..." Came the dejected reply.

Suddenly Boruto got a kick in his step as he turned back around to walk normally. "Finally we're almost there!" It felt much slower when they walked together. Maybe because he usually just hopped around till he got to the Academy. Cooler and faster, just like him. "Come on guys, let's go faster!" He jogged ahead.

Himawari let go of Hinata's hand and followed with a 'whoop'. "Wa-wait a moment!" Hinata said 'excuse me' to everyone she bumped into as she followed the smaller bodies to the destination they were all heading for.

Hinata halted in her tracks as she saw all the young ones heading to the same building; the same building she remembered going to for many years until she finally became a genin. _But it's different and..._ Hinata noted the even more unfamiliar buildings buy the Academy. It's not where I remember it.

"Boruto you idiot! Watch where you're going!" Hinata looked at the direction of where the yell came from. It was from a girl, she stood right next to Boruto and Himawari-who had a grumpy expression himself, and she had short black-hair and matching eyes framed by red glasses. And beside that girl was another, a chubbier one with beautiful chocolate skin and golden eyes, her face was framed with light brown hair.

"Oh shut up you four eyes!" Boruto growled.

Hinata stepped up to intervene but the brown-skinned girl bear her up to the making a new conversation. "Oh, it's the Seventh's wife."

The black-haired girl flushed and bowed politely, "Good morning, Hinata-san!"

"Er, hello." She wasn't sure what to call the girl. Which one was Sarada? "How are you?"

"I'm fine!" The ravenette replied with a smile. "Chouchou and I just got interrupted by Boruto running into us is all." Alright, black-haired girl- Sarada, brunette- Chouchou.

"Sorry, Sarada." Himawari said in her brother's stead.

Sarada shook her head, "It's fine, Himawari."

"It's rare seeing you over here." Chouchou leaned on Sarada's shoulder. "What's up."

Himawari gestured at Hinata, "Kaa-chan said we'd take Boruto to school today." Hinata nodded with a reassuring smile. She wondered who their parents were and if she knew them.

"Now, now, you aren't giving our Hokage's wife a hard time are you?" A new person entered the scene. She assumed he was one the sensei who taught here.

"No!" Came the unison reply.

He had on a neutral expression, or at least, that was what Hinata assumed as she looked at his straight-lined mouth. His eyes were hidden beneath a visor of sorts, and he wore a flak jacket. He nodded at Hinata in a more casual way despite his earlier question. "Nice seeing you again, Hinata."

Hinata felt her eyes widen a bit. It couldn't be could it? "Shino-kun?"

"Hmm?" Shino grunted.

"Oh nothing!" Hinata waved her hands in a nervous dismissal. "I just um, keep forgetting you're a sensei now." Did that sound believable an excuse?

Apparently so. "You and Kiba did find it crazy when I went for the job." Shino sounded amused as he thought back to that day. "But I'm pleased with my new work. Speaking of which, I hope you all have been studying for that quiz today."

"Quiz?!" Chouchou yelped and Sarada sighed at her best friend's reaction.

"Come on," the bespeculated girl dragged Chouchou forward. "I'll help you study for as long as we can."

Boruto 'hmphed' and crossed his arms behind his head, "I didn't even need to study!"

Shino was probably rolling his eyes underneath his shades, "If it weren't for the fact you already have the third best grades in the class after Sarada and Inojin, I'd probably lecture you." Boruto snickered.

"Well, see you later!" He ran forward himself.

Hinata smiled and waved, a pang a sadness in her chest. "I'm glad he's doing well in class."

"Completely unlike Naruto back in the day." Shino snorted.

Himawari gasped happily, "Shikadai!" She waved her tiny hand wildly and Hinata wasn't sure whether or not she was surprised or stunned. She could definitely tell who's children these boys were, and even by name. Shikamaru's genes ran strong in the boy known as Shikadai, excluding his green eyes and Ino's looks were transferred into the other, Inojin. Then Hinata remembered Chouchou and her chubbiness, and like a light bulb going 'ping', Hinata realized. They were the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chou. These were the kids Ino had been telling her about the previous day.

Shikadai gave a lazy wave of his own, "Hey, Hima."

Said girl smiled shyly and it looked as if she were squealing internally.

Inojin on the other hand bowed respectfully, "Good morning, Hinata-san, Shino-sensei!"

Hinata nodded and so did Shino. She blocked out anything else that was probably being said as she wrapped her head around all this new information. This was a new generation and Konoha had changed greatly from her own time.

This was the new reality.

**_XxX_**

The 'Hyuga' girl was pleased when she saw that yes Naruto was able to make it to dinner, and even more pleased when she saw that he had ordered take out. Luckily, he assumed that she was unable to cook now. Himawari was happy, and even Boruto seemed happier despite the bitterness he seemed to hold this morning.

"...and then Kaa-chan and I watched all these movies too!"

Naruto laughed, "That's nice to hear that you and your mother are having a lot of fun." He directed his gaze at his son. "And how was everything at the Academy today? Learn any new jutsu? You're old man was quite the prodigy when I was back in the Academy!" Hinata coughed on her rice. The blonde man had a proud look on his face. Did he really just make up their child years?

A smirk was on Boruto's face in an instant, "Oh really? That's not what Shino-sensei told me!"

Naruto's proud expression dropped immediately. "Damn it, Shino, you never let me win!"

Laughter erupted across the Uzumaki family table.

Hinata was happy that this family was very lively. It was so different from her own, which felt cold due to the constant lurking of her father's disappointment in her. Her relationship with Hanabi was still strained. Here both she and Naruto were proud and Boruto and Himawari had a playful, healthy relationship. It was more than she ask for for her future.

"Kaa-chan," Himawari spoke up again, her voice mixing in with the sound of the blonde male's of the family laughter. "Kaa-chan! Can we visit Uncle Neji tomorrow?"

Hinata failed to notice how Naruto suddenly fell silent. _Neji-niisan!_ Hinata couldn't believe she forgot about him. The one cousin she was on good terms with! It had been a rough start, but the two of them were slowly rebuilding their relationship with one another everyday. They were sparring buddies, companions, and Neji no longer viewed her with hatred and disgust while Hinata no longer viewed him with fear.

They were _friends_.

And it was all thanks to Naruto.

Hinata smiled. "I'd love to visit your Uncle Neji tomorrow."

"Then can we stop by Auntie's and get sunflowers again?"

"Of course!"

"Er, Hinata!" Naruto stood up, hands slamming on the table causing everyone else to jump at the sudden outburst. "I just remembered that I had to tell you something!" He pulled Hinata up by her wrist as he pulled away from the table. "Tou-chan and Kaa-chan will be right back alright! If you're finished eating when we come back we'll have dessert!" His laughter sounded off as he pulled Hinata all the way to the room they once shared together. Naruto now slept in the living room.

He was abnormally quiet.

It made Hinata nervous. "Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata..." Naruto's voice was wavering. "About Neji."

He paused and Hinata felt an unsettling feeling in her stomach. "Yes?"

Naruto looked Hinata in the eye, pain reflecting in them. "Neji's... Neji's dead now."

Hinata felt her mind go blank.

* * *

Hinata awoke startled and pushed herself up to a sitting position immediately.

What was that dream, no, nightmare? She wiped her forehead, then pushed her bangs up. She couldn't remember what had happened in it. Hinata was grateful that this was a night Himawari didn't decide to sleep in her bed because she was sure that she had twisted and turned many a time in her sleep.

But in the end, it was all just a dream.

The woman sighed. "Good..."

That was when her door creaked open and with her eyes closed, she smiled in the direction of the creaking. "I'm sorry, did I disturb yo-"

"Hinata-sama! Thank goodness you're awake! Your teammates brought you back to the compound unconscious!"

Hinata opened her eyes and her mind was silent. That wasn't the voice of her son.

"Neji-niisan...?"

* * *

_**A/n:**_ chapter 4 end.

Phew wee! This chapter was all over the place and feels are about to get involved. And like some of you readers may have already been expecting, Future!Hinata has re-entered the body of her young self and is dealing with the absence of her family. Then there's Neji coming into play. His death for Young Hinata and seeing her deceased cousin alive and well once more for Future!Hinata. The pain.

Oh, and _new headcanon:_ Ino and Naruto argue over who's son will marry Sarada and be Sakura's in-law! And Hinata has the best puppy eyes. Do you all except?

_**Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!**_

_**Preview - **_Chapter Five: The Hyuga: "Hinata-neesama?" "Neji-niisan...!" "Hinata! I haven't seen you in a while, how've you been?" "Naruto-kun, your arm..." "You didn't notice earlier?"


	5. The Hyuga

Road to Hinata Uzumaki

**A/n:**

And here we are to chapter five, and without the extremely long wait for the update! Also, just a heads up, **Chapter 1-3 have all been edited** in terms of the age(ch1- cuz due to research and being informed of proper ages) and ttebayos/basas(ch2 and 3)

So far, everything's good with the poll (which is being ran here on FFN and tumblr) and if anyone is wondering who is winning, it's Temari (and Sakura is in second place). The poll will be ending** this week in a couple of days**, so get in your votes while you can.

709 of Naruto Gaiden... Whew! That was freaking beautiful! All these feels got me riled up and crap... I totally wanna write some next gen fics now. Like aside from them being inside the series I'm working on and all. Maybe just a fic of ChouSaraHima friendship with them going through things like friend drama, dealing with their parents, and their crushes. What do you guys think about that? If any of you were wondering what my ships for the next gen. are, here it is: InoSara, ShikaHima, and I'm not sure about the other kids. Knowing Chouchou, she'd suggest something like, guys _'Guys! We need dates for *idk some upcoming Konoha event* and fast! So let's pick a guy, and get him to go with us! Like we can draw names from a hat or something, idk'_. All in all, we get some protective papas and weary, but supportive mamas! (Who should I pair Chouchou up with then? Lee Jr.?) I'd love to read or write that... Hit me up and let me know what you guys think for those of you who read my Author's Notes.

Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did, Himawari would be shown more.**

+Chapter Five: The Hyuga+

_That was when her door creaked open and with her eyes closed, she smiled in the direction of the creaking. "I'm sorry, did I disturb yo-"_

_"Hinata-sama! Thank goodness you're awake! Your teammates brought you back to the compound unconscious!"_

_Hinata opened her eyes and her mind was silent. That wasn't the voice of her son._

_"Neji-niisan...?"_

~';'~

Hinata Uzumaki was fairly certain of what was going on as she blocked out the noise around her.

She was still in Hyuga Compound, her _home_, as she sat in her room. Aside from Neji, no one had really came to visit her aside from a few Main Family members like Kou. She wasn't surprised. This would be during the time where she and Hanabi's relationship was still foul due to the inner workings of the Clan's beliefs. And Hiashi wasn't the kind man he had become in her future.

That was right, she wasn't in a genjutsu.

The moment Neji had left her side she activated her Byakugan. There was no trace of genjutsu in anyone, herself included.

Hinata was stuck in the body of her younger self.

It was late at night as she sat on the porch, staring up at the full moon. Something that would've been beautiful had she still been in the mindset of how she was as a child; but she wasn't. She knew exactly what was there. Was this the work of Kaguya? It couldn't have been if she were sealed away. Toneri perhaps? He had promised to never intervene with the fate of the earth and the inhabitants in it. Who else could this have left as a possible threat?

The blunette was not sure.

All she did know though was after she fell asleep, she awoke to being in the body of her fourteen year old self (confirmed by the year on her calendar) and sometime during this switch her younger self had collapsed from a mysterious pain in her head.

That had been during the afternoon.

Now her children were stuck in the far future with no one looking over them.

The true Uzumaki matriarch clenched her teeth at the thought of not being able to see her children and how they were. She clamped her hands together, trying to reassure herself. _Naruto-kun is with them. He'll keep them safe._ She pictured Boruto's mischievous grin and Himawari's smile. They looked so much like their father, Hinata thought as she smiled to herself. Then her mind drifted to Neji and she felt her heart ache even more. This felt like a cruel joke, seeing her beloved cousin alive after all this time knowing that not too long from now, he would die one day. Dying to keep her safe. _Neji-niisan...! If it weren't for him..._

Hinata held back wanting to run up and hug him out of the blue now that she had finally adjusted to this new environment.

Neji would've loved the kids.

She could tell right now that he would adore them so much.

_"Oi, Oji-chan! Give us candy!"_

_"Oji-chan, can you give me a piggyback ride?"_

There was so many potential things she could see happening if Neji were still alive and in Boruto and Himawari's lives. He would be many things to them, a mentor and a friend, the favourite uncle. Hanabi would probably compete with him for the title as favourite too. But Neji wouldn't dare let her take it. Maybe he would've had his own children that would play with her own. That would've been very nice.

_"Hinami is a good name."_ She remembered him saying one day. It was during the War, when it seemed as if they would definitely both make it back to Konoha in one piece._ "I would love to name one of my own that name."_

Hinata stood up, feeling more disgruntled than ever.

She needed to find a way home before anything major happened, and she had no one to count on aside from herself.

* * *

Hinata carefully picked the sunflowers from the Uzumaki family's garden with a solemn expression.

Boruto had left ahead to the Academy, leaving only herself and Himawari, who humming beside her as she picked her own sunflowers. Naruto was also absent from the household, he himself busy with his own activities. So it was only the blue-haired females of the Uzumaki household at home, but they themselves would be leaving soon. And it wasn't to visit any of her old friends. Well, it was, now that Hinata thought about it. But it was a dead friend, family.

Neji.

_"There was a war..." Naruto said, avoiding the wide-eyed look of shock that Hinata was giving him. "And if it weren't for him we would've..." He could bare to give all the details to the younger version of his wife. "But the kids know about him and love him, even if they don't know him personally. We keep his memory alive."_

Hinata blinked back a tear welling up in her eye.

She wouldn't allow herself to cry.

"Kaa-chan?" Himawari's voice rang with worry. "Are you okay?"

Hinata gave a close-eyed smile to her daughter, "I'm fine." As fine as she'll ever be. "Kaa-chan just misses Uncle is all." She looked back at the small patch of sunflowers they had picked. "Do you think we have enough for him?" It was a good choice in her opinion, after all, that was what 'Himawari' meant: sunflower and it fit her perfectly. So did Himawari's hair, come to think of it. With the young girl's cheeriness and gentle disposition, she was very much like a sunflower in her own right. Her blue hair that flared out like leaves now seemed more reminiscent of sun rays reaching out to warm everything it could reach.

Apparently, it was Naruto who had came up with the idea to name the small girl Himawari. It was such a good choice.

"Yeah!" Himawari stood up, blue eyes shining, and Hinata followed afterwards. "Let's go and give them to him.'

The elder blunette nodded, "Lead the way, my dear."

The two of them took a different path than the one they took from the Academy and it was easier a walk the second time around now that Hinata knew of some of the things that had changed about Konoha.

It was silent while they walked. But it was a pleasant silence and a much needed silence.

Hinata still needed to wrap her mind around the fact Neji was dead. It hurt, but that was how it was. Who else had died during this war Naruto mentioned? She still had yet to once again see the other members of Team 8. She felt a fear clutch her heart as she thought back to how it wasn't long ago she had been standing in a training field with them._ Please let Kiba-kun, Akamaru, and Kurenai-sensei be okay._ She needed to see them, even if it meant becoming more and more involved in the current Konoha she was living in. She would need to be careful, but she at least needed to make sure. After all, she was certain she couldn't avoid everyone for the entirety she was here.

"Hinata-neesama?" Hinata blinked in surprise at that voice.

"Hanabi-obachan!" Himawari said happily.

_Hanabi...?_ Hinata looked to her left and her eyes widened at the sight before her. Hanabi had certainly changed. The brunette's hair had grown even longer from when she last saw her, all the way to her knees. A white ribbon by her shoulders kept it tied together, similar to Neji's, but her hair having more of a sheen to it. She was also wearing a kimono, a pale yellow one with a salmon-coloured obi. She looked beautiful. "Hanabi..."

A cat-like smile was on Hanabi's face, "Imagine seeing my big sister and favourite niece on the same path as I am."

Himawari giggled as she step forward to her aunt, "I'm your only niece."

"All the more reason for you to be my favourite one!"

This was not the Hanabi Hinata remembered from home. Hanabi was a lot more stoic, silent, and determined. "You've... changed." Hinata said quietly,. She was much more cheerful a person, especially for the Clan head of the Hyuga. But Hinata couldn't say this was a change she disliked. It reminded of her of how Hanabi had been before she had become the heiress, back when they were closer.

Hanabi's opal eyes looked back at Hinata, "Visiting, Neji-niisama too." It wasn't a question. That was when Hinata finally noticed the bundle of white lilies in her sisters arms.

Hinata noded, "Shall we go together?" There was a silent agreement as Himawari took to walking between the of the Byakugan users. "How has everything been on the Compound?"

The brunette's nose scrunched up, "I don't know how Otou-sama dealt with all this." Hanabi's face was disgruntled with irritation. "The elders are always trying to convince to push me into following the old traditions. If it isn't one thing like keeping the branches split, it's another thing like me passing a law that they know definitely works in the favor of how things used to work."

"I see..." Hinata wanted to hold back a giggle. She wondered how her father would react if he had heard the Hanabi of the future talking like this. "What are they up to now?"

Her sister huffed, "They are trying to keep me from my courtship with Konohamaru."

Hinata choked. "Er, ahem, s-sorry. I swallowed the wrong way..." Her sister was in a relationship with the child who had idolized Naruto greatly as both a brother and rival as a child? He wasn't even in the Academy in her time! "Pl-please continue."

Hanabi shot her a strange look, but continued on nonetheless. "They think you just marry outside the Clan is enough, but I already told them it was agreed upon a long time ago during Otou-sama's rule that a Hyuga could now marry whom they choose. They think that just because I'm young they can twist my mind."

It definitely sounded like the council Hinata had grew up with. She was just glad that Hanabi was not bending to their demands. "I'm glad you are staying strong."

"Of course!" Hanabi nodded. "I need to make sure that everything Neji-niisama would've wanted will never fade away because of the council. We'll never go back to the Cursed Seal or keeping the Hyuga separated by branch familys."

Hinata felt another pang in her heart. This _would_ be a future Neji would've wanted and he wouldn't live long enough to see it. A Clan with freedom equally distributed among the members. _It does happen, Neji-niisan. It happens._ She looked up at the sky and there was not a cloud to be seen. Neji must've been smiling up there. Hinata just knew it.

"Ah, we're here." Hanabi said, her voice sounding blank.

That was when she looked as well. The memorial sight had changed quite a bit, but that had probably came with the deaths she had yet to discover and cope with. She looked at the names as she passed them. A majority of them were unfamiliar, but she did spot one that she knew for certain.

_Asume Sarutobi._

Hinata looked away as quickly as she had seen it. So Team 10's sensei had joined the ranks of fallen shinobi as well.

Himawari finally perched in front of a grave, Hinata didn't need to ask who it belonged to. "Neji-niisan..." She placed the sunflowers in the flower holster beside it and Hanabi did so as well.

_I'm so sorry._ Hinata tried her hardest to not let any tears swell up in her eyes._ I'm so sorry that you died protecting me. I wasn't strong enough to keep you safe...! You shouldn't of had to die!_ Hinata was sure she'd never be able to apologize enough. The Neji of the past always seemed to have the brightest future ahead of him, being buried in a memorial grave site wasn't something she expected of him until they were extremely old and beyond their ninja years. Not young and strong. It was too much of a shock and she wasn't sure she'd be able to adjust to it.

"Don't worry, Neji-niisama." Hanabi said, her voice firm. "Everything you fought hard for isn't going to fade away any time soon. I swear it."

"And I'll become a strong shinobi too." Himawari said. "I'll be strong just like you, Kaa-chan, and Tou-chan and protect everyone."

The oldest of the three girls smiled proudly. "We all will." She wouldn't give up and let the training Neji gave her fall in vain. She would make sure to get stronger, day by day, little by little. Even now. _You would love the kids, Neji-niisan. They are very sweet._ Hinata was sure of it.

"Well, I've got to get back." Hanabi announced. "Konohamaru will back from a mission soon, so I've been checking the village gate everyday."

Hinata nodded and Himawari waved her aunt a good-bye she was glad that her sister's love life was flourishing.

Then she directed her opal gaze back to Neji's gravestone. _Hanabi has grown up very well too._

Everyone had been growing. "Why don't go home too, honey?" Hinata asked. "We could stop by some stores on our way home as well"

Himawari smiled and nodded.

~';'~

"I wanna go to the store, Mommy!"

"Maybe some other time, darling."

"Awww!"

Hinata looked away from the sight of a mother and her daughter with bated breath. It felt as if she had salt poured into an open wound, and it stung very badly. That was something she and Himawari did often back in her time. Window shopping was a fun activity between them. They got ice cream and Hinata was given an insight into possible gifts to buy her children for the holidays. Maybe yukata for the Rinne Festival. But she had no one to do that for now that she was back here.

_Just don't think about it._

This morning she left the Hyuga Compound, needing to clear her head, and was now exploring the village.

It was familiar and yet, after all the events that had taken place altering it into something more technological, it felt so foreign.

No more cars riddled the streets.

There were no street lights or laptops.

No cell phone, no TV.

_I wonder how Boruto and Himawari would feel if they had been sent back here._ Hinata couldn't hold back a giggle. The blunette could easily imagine their faces contorting into ones of shock and horror as they realized they would no longer be able to watch their favorite movies or play video games. TVs were a rare sight in this time period, only people like the Kage or exam instructors had them. In her time, that was no longer the case. So that would be a funny sight to see, the kids reacting to a technology set back.

Her opal eyes looked up to see if she could find the Hokage Monument from where she stood.

And there it was.

Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, Minato, and now Tsunade's face was being added to it though there was only a quarter of it done.

_Should I tell Tsunade-sama?_ But Hinata shook her head immediately.

If she were to walk into the Hokage Office with the claim of being the Seventh Hokage's wife, there would be an automatic interrogation. And while an interrogation was something she wouldn't mind, as she trusted Inoichi Yamanaka full-heartedly, Hinata knew that there was no way Tsunade could keep this from the elders. Then word would no doubt spread to Danzo, and while she hadn't dealt with him personally, she heard enough about him from both Sakura and Naruto. She knew for a fact he would see her as a threat, and with her being stuck in this body, she wouldn't stand a chance. Her chakra reserves weren't as big and strong as those of her older body, preventing her from using a lot of powerful techniques. Then there was an even worse scenario, what if the man tried to exterminate Kakashi or Naruto with one of Root ninja?

_Naruto-kun..._ Hinata felt a wave of loneliness as it set in even further how alone she was. Not even her future husband was here in the present. She looked down at her feet as she continued to walk. How was the Naruto in her time? Was eating right? Did he make sure Boruto and Himawari didn't have to worry about her predicament? She was hoping so. But for the time being, she would have to settle for keeping him safe even if he was no where near her.

"Oh, Hinata!"

Hinata looked ahead and felt a wave a relief when she saw a familar head of pink hair heading towards her. "Sakura-ch,er, Sakura-san." The young mother could definitely tell this would be difficult. She waved at the future godmother of her children. It was awkward now that she back in a time where they were just barely getting along.

Sakura stopped just short of a few meters, "I haven't seen you in a while, how've you been?"

"I've been great." Hinata said with a smile. "How has your training with Tsunade-sama been?" Sakura made a face and Hinata gave a laugh of sympathy. Was she being too casual? "Well, I'm sure you'll be just fine, Sakura-san." A matter of a fact, she knew the pinkette would be just fine. The second master of Tsunade's Yin Seal, the head doctor of her own children's clinic, and the proud mother of a young girl. Better than fine.

The green-eyed girl gave a grateful smile of her own, "Thanks, Hinata." She placed a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be just fine too." There was a comfortable silence that fell between the two.

Hinata left the pinkette's side with another feeling of relief hitting her. Maybe this was an okay interaction for now.

* * *

Boruto and Himawari would be asleep by the time Naruto arrived home. Dinner had been another night of take out, Naruto making sure he had left plenty of leftovers for them since it would've been a mess if the current Hinata had no assistance.

The blonde sighed as he continued down the cold path. There weren't many out, except for an occasional car or two passing by. It was still pretty rare for civilian to be using those, but they were slowly reaching others. In Naruto's opinion, they still didn't need any cars. But whatever, as long as he could still see the natural colour of the sky he was fine with it.

While Naruto wouldn't admit it to anyone else, he was taking his sweet time in returning back to the Uzumaki household.

It was selfish of him, Naruto knew that, but he couldn't help himself.

He was angry.

Not at Hinata, but whoever did this to her.

This felt like someone was playing a joke on him. Every time he returned home, it was only a constant reminder that his family had changed. There weren't any kisses or hugs being exchanged between him and wife. She was no longer there. It hurt like a kunai to the heart. He wanted to scream and shout and hurt who had done this to Hinata and ruined what they had.

What if this kids found out? It would only be so long until Hinata had slipped. If she slipped.

But she didn't know everything the current her did now and that would and could be her downfall. How devastated would the two little ones be if they figured out the truth? They would be even lonelier than him.

_"Since I come home late and leave home early anyways, I'll just sleep on the couch. You can still use the bed."_

Hinata still felt guilty about taking his bed, but she didn't argue him. It made sense. It would be awkward if it were her instead since she woke up later and the kids usually weren't that far from waking up either. She didn't want to cause the children any grief while she stayed here. So it would be best if she were to agree with him. And while Naruto knew he came up with the plan, it didn't mean he liked it. It was cold now that he slept by himself. Colder than any night he spent by himself as a child and a teenager.

_"Who cares. Keep me out here all night if you want to. It's not like I have anyone waiting for me at home anyways!"_

Naruto clenched his prosthetic fist.

If someone were to tell him of the future included two beautiful children and a loving wife, he wouldn't have believed them. Now that he had it and one piece of his puzzle was missing... He felt as if he had taken everything for granted.

The future Hokage sighed as he walked up to his door. "Home sweet home." He mumbled, pulling out his keys but when he opened his door to see Hinata sitting in the loveseat waiting for him, his heart fluttered. _This isn't_ my_ Hinata_._ This isn't _my _Hinata_. The flutter came to frigid stop. "Hinata?"

The blue-haired woman stood up with a blush, "I wanted to welcome you home." She avoided looking him dead in the eye.

Naruto grinned, hiding any hint of the pain he'd been feeling and rubbed the back of head sheepishly. "You don't have to, y'know."

"I-I know but," Hinata looked up. "I owe you so much right now. So I just wanted to do even the smallest things..."

The jinchuuriki could hold back a small smile. "How about I make us some tea?" He was already on the move, exchanging his sandals for house slippers. He didn't bother asking what flavor, he already knew it was green. "Did you have an okay day today?" Naruto was still feeling his own guilt. The subject of Neji wasn't one he didn't think would be coming up so soon.

"Yes, it was fine." Hinata answered in a soft voice. "I saw Hanabi today."

Naruto grunted as he reached for a couple cups. "Anything major happen?" Translation: Did you tell her anything?

"No." Naruto was sure she had shaken her head too. "I'm just surprised out different she is. The Hanabi in my time would never be this friendly or talk this way about the elders and Hyuga traditions."

The Uzumaki male released a small chuckle. "Yeah she became a real live wire. She and Konohamaru suit each other very well."

It fell silent between them and Naruto released a silent sigh. This would certainly take a while, he already knew, but that didn't mean he had adjusted already. They were back to square one once more. But he figured that was better than being back to square zero, when Hinata would constantly faint around him. "Tea's ready." He picked both cups carefully, mindful of the heat in his left as he made his way back to the living room. "Here you go."

"Thank you..." Hinata reached her small hands out to grab it, but she paused. "Naruto-kun, your arm..."

Naruto glanced down at his right hand. It didn't take rocket science to figure out which one she was talking about. "You didn't notice earlier?" He settled for placing both cups on the coffee table, making sure to put coasters underneath them.

Hinata picked up her cup quickly, her opal gaze avoiding his blue.

"I just figured you wanted to not talk about it." Naruto took a sip of his own tea. "There was an incident and I lost it, but Baa-chan made me another one. Sasuke lost his left one, too actually. He just never got his attached."

Hinata perked up, surprised. "Sasuke-san?"

Oh that's right. He hadn't told her about Sasuke's return yet. "Yeah, we got Sasuke back." A wide grin spread across his face as he remembered all the struggles Team 7 had went through. "He and Sakura have a daughter. I'm super sure she'll be our daughter-in-law one day, but Ino keeps saying she'll be hers. Pfft. Sarada is the Team 7 baby, she and Boruto are fated to be together." He rolled his blue eyes as he remembered the many arguments he and the Yamanaka woman had about the subject. It was ridiculous. Boruto and Sarada were fated to be with one another. Not Inojin and Sarada. And there was no way Himawari would be dating anybody! It would be a cold day in hell the day that happened, and Himawari would preferably be eighty.

"Sarada?"

"Yeah." Naruto confirmed. "She's a good kid."

"I actually met her." Hinata said, eyes wide. "Sarada's parents are Sasuke-san and Sakura-san?"

"Yeah. She looks a lot Sasuke with the hair and eyes colour, but you can definitely see Sakura-chan in her." Like the eyes and the occasional shannaro that flew out her mouth. "She gets along great with Chouchou, and Himawari really looks up to them. I'm glad she has such good role models." They were strong. And they were girls. They were independent. But most importantly they weren't boys. Looking back out how many of their friends had sons, it was a freaking blessing that they were girls! Sasuke Jr. and Chouji Jr.? Naruto held back making a face. **_God no._**

Hinata smiled, her lavender-tinted eyes softening and nodded, "I am too."

Naruto smiled too. He was pretty sure that she wasn't thinking the same things he was about the two.

* * *

_**A/n:**_ chapter 5 end.

Sorry if it's kind of rushed, it's been pretty busy over at my place. But nonetheless...

Drama is all over the place and we finally got some NaruHina interaction! I'm also pretty excited for the last chapter of Gaiden cuz I can't wait for Sakura to be confirmed the mother, and for the antis to shut up and stop bashing her. Seriously! I hate bashers of every kind because they seriously think bashing one character makes the character they like look even better. It doesn't. Like the Hinata-bashers who call her a silver prize to Naruto. I'm sorry, Hater, but you need to get your eyes checked. Every female of Naruto is a _golden statue_ that can kick major ass!

Ahem... Sorry for that, but it's been war on tumblr since Gaiden started... and while I may sit back, I need someone to vent too. Hope you guys don't mind my venting-ness. But I'm pretty happy right now though because I've been getting a lot of oneshot requests to make, so time for me to practice and shine!

Well then, thanks for reading this story still for those of you are. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

_**Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!**_

_**Preview - **_Chapter Six: The Medic: "Sakura!" "Sakura-san!" "The three of us are having a lunch date next weekend!" "Mama, why is she looking at me like that?" "Kaa-chan, how do you get a boy to like you?"


	6. The Medic

Road to Hinata Uzumaki

**A/n:**

_And the poll results are in_! I posted the results on my profile, but I'll also be posting them here as well. So with the combined votes from here on FFN and tumblr, Temari won 1st place with 19 votes, Sakura got 2nd place with 10 points of her own, Ino is in 3rd place with 3 votes, and Karui and Tenten tied with 1 point each. There was also one person who expressed an interest in a Road to story with Hanabi as the main character.

But in the end, thanks everyone that voted and congrats to the voters who voted for Temari. So let me know, how fast do you want me to shoot out the first chapter of the [Road to Temari Nara]? Relatively soon? Later on?

And to reply to a guests statement on Hinata forgetting Shino on the whole hoping her teammates are alive thing, **she'd already seen Shino physically with her eyes so she already knows he survived the war**. And I gotta thank mds777 for those great ideas on more ninja-edited references to real life! They were golden!

Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did, Himawari would be shown more.**

+Chapter Six: The Medic+

"Oh?"

Ino Yamanaka, age 27, perked up when she saw a familiar head of long pink hair ahead. She was walking on her own, her pace temperate in comparison to those around her. Ino couldn't help but burst out into a grin when she knew who it was- not like there was anyway it could be another. "Sakura!"

Sakura Uchiha stopped in her tracks as she looked back to see one of her best friends behind her. "Hey Ino!"

The blonde kunoichi jogged lightly to Sakura's side. "Fancy seeing you here."

Sakura rolled her eyes in good humour, "You act like we haven't seen each others for days."

"Well it could've been days." Ino snorted, crossing her arms as they continued walking in the direction Sakura was heading in. "What if I were off on an important mission?"

"Because Sai still hasn't came back from his so I know you wouldn't leave Inojin by himself and Kakashi-sensei wouldn't take my top nurse." Sakura replied without missing a beat. She and Ino had established the Children's Mental Health Clinic not too long after the war together, so they spent quite a long time together.

Ino gave a 'hmph', "No fun at all Billboard Brow." She grabbed her heart in mock hurt. "You never amuse me. How do you expect our reputation as the best comedic duo in Konoha to keep up at this rate? If our future grandchildren inherit your lack of humour I'll be really upset. So at least put in a little effort for your sister-in-law."

Sakura looked like she wanted to face palm herself. "Pig, for the last time, whoever Sarada ends up with is up to her."

"Oh boo, let me dream."

This had become a recurring conversation ever since Sarada was four and Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Naruto ate together at Ichiraku's. Naruto said something about the fruition of Team Seven babies being nire and Ino snapped immediately. Boruto and Sarada could be friends, but the romance aspect of her favorite niece's life was going to Inojin! After her and Sakura's history, Ino deserved to legally become Sakura's sister! Plus, Sarada and Inojin knew each other _way _longer than Boruto! (Okay so maybe they all knew each other at the same time considering the many mother's and baby's day trips Sakura, Hinata, and Ino had together, but Ino digresses. Sakura and Ino's length of friendship ran through the genes of their children!)

"Just imagine how cute they'll be! They'll have my charm, your brains, and not to mention they'll have my hair!"

"Ino, please."

Ino looked at Sakura with light irritation,"Fine." But she mentally kept her fingers crossed that Inojin and Sarada would have some interaction today. "Well, Forehead, where are you off to?"

It was rare for a workaholic like Sakura to take a day off, and an even rarer thing for Sakura to take a day off when Ino was off as well.

Sakura smiled lightly, "I'm actually heading over to Hinata's. She was supposed to stop by the hospital the other day and say 'hi', but she never showed up. It's such a shame too. The kids love her so much since she always makes them cinnamon rolls." The pinkette lifted an arm, showing her friend a basket full of goodies. "So I decided to stop by since I had some holidays backed up. And I'll get to visit one of my favourite little girls!"

Ino's body tensed up._ She's visiting Hinata?_

_"I'll tell Sakura-chan pretty soon, I'm just taking telling people about Hinata's condition at a slow pace since I don't want to risk any eavesdropping. I'll probably have to catch her when she isn't busy with her work."_

Had Naruto told Sakura about Hinata's condition yet?

Ino blinked when she noticed the pink-haired woman giving her a strange look and forced what she would call a realistic grin. "Sorry, I was just thinking about you and Hinata. You two are the worst! You guys spoil the kids way too much with your treats. If I see that Inojin gets a cavity, I'll come and haunt you both."

"As long as he brushes and flosses Ino it'll be fine." Sakura retorted. She and Hinata were known for pampering the living hell out of their group of friend's kids. "And I'm not _that_ bad! Hinata is way worse than me! If she buys Sarada any more clothes and books, I'm going to need to invest in more furniture." Well, Ino could give Sakura that. With her super strength, Sakura was right up there in the list of the Strict, Scary Moms Squad which consisted of Ino, Temari, Tenten, and Temari. But her work in the children's clinic made her more prone to giving small gifts to her psuedo nieces and nephews.

Hinata on the other hand was just the favourite go to Mom with her gentle demeanor.

She was often the host for many slumber parties for the boys and she wasn't quick to blow her fuse like the SSMS [Strict, Scary Moms Squad]. It was often a topic covered when the General Moms Squad hung out together.

... Blue eyes swept over Sakura's form. Nothing about her seemed to give off any indication of knowing about Hinata. "Have you heard from Naruto lately? Kami knows, Kakashi-sensei keeps him busy with all that paperwork."

"Not all." Sakura answered. "At least he knows the pain I went through all those years ago back when I was Tsunade-shishou's personal forger. I can still write her signature like it was trully her."

Ino forced out a chuckle.

Great, she thought sarcastically. Naruto hadn't told Sakura anything yet. Would she have to do it herself? Or rather, was it her place? Ino decided to push it to the back of her head. She'd have to come back to that after punching Naruto a couple times. Ino had been too busy looking through the Yamanaka library, and so far she hadn't reached any information that could indicate a hint of what they were dealing with. _Maybe I should try looking in one of those ancient scrolls next time._ Ino wanted to tug at her bangs in frustration. _You'd think that something like this would be in one of the more newer books we have._ Apparently not.

"Well here we are." Sakura announced cheerily.

The Uzumaki house was a large one for something that wasn't apart of a compound, and it stood out with the amount of plants decorating it. "It never ceases to amaze me that those two are on par with me with the amount of plants on their porch."

Sakura knocked on the door, wary of the pot of lavenders she was standing by. "It's to be expected considering how alike they're hobbies are." Naruto always loved watering his plants and Hinata enjoyed flower pressing. Combine that together and you have a garden for all your watering and flower pressing needs.

_Can't retort to that._

_Click._

Ino's attention directed to the door knob as she heard the clicking behind it. "Hello?" A pair of cerulean blue eyes stared up at them with innocent wonder but they quickly turned bright. "Auntie Sakura! Auntie Ino!"

Sakura released a loud squeal as she swept Himawari into her arms, squeezing her tightly (thank goodness the Uchiha matriarch learned how to control her hug strength or else the next generation would be dead right now). "Himawari-chan! I missed you!" Sakura gave the tiny blunette a few pecks on the forehead then rubbed her cheek against the crown of her head. Ino got the feeling it would be awhile until she finally got the hugs she wanted as well. "Hinata! Hurry up!"

Said 'woman' appeared not too long after Sakura shouted out, opal eyes filled with surprise. "Sakura-san?! Ino-san?!"

Ino winced at the blatant mistake and Sakura's raised eyebrow. "No -chan?" She set Himawari back down to the ground. "Is there something wrong?"

Hinata made a face and it became evident to her as well that she had made a mistake that Hinata _Uzumaki_ wouldn't have. "S-sorry," she bowed respectfully. "I've been a little bit off lately, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan. Er, come in!"

Ino held back a sigh of relief as she saw Sakura take the bait and kneeled down to get her own hug from Himawari after closing the door. "Nice to see you again, Himawari-chan."

Himawari giggled, "Hi, Auntie." The hug between them briefer, Himawari making a short dash to the other women in the household.

She looked towards the pinkette and blunette, seeing Sakura confidently walking to the kitchen table, setting her basket on it. "Geez Hinata, how many times do I have to tell you if you aren't feeling well to visit me? If it isn't someone else it's you." The green-eyed woman huffed.

"Sorry." Hinata gave an apologetic smile. "I'll make sure to do so next time."

Sakura nodded firmly and looked down at Himawari, "And I brought you some treats~" She said in a sing-song voice as she pulled out a bar of chocolate and a yellow diary with a matching sunflower pen.

Himawari gasped with delight, "Thank you, Auntie!"

Sakura laughed as she handed the items to the young girl and Ino glared at her. _What was that about not being a pushover, Sakura? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your hypocrisy!_ There was a new topic to bring up at Girl's Day Out; Sakura clearly being Himawari's favourite aunt and what to do about it. Maybe Karui could come up with something, the red head was surprisingly good with coming up with clean cut plans that worked out in her favour.

"And for the adults, I brought our favourite dango. A little treat." Sakura announced proudly. "And speaking of treats, the kids at the Clinic were pretty disappointed when you didn't stop by yesterday."

Once again, Hinata's eyes were broadened with surprise and she bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry," her voice was soft. "I was visiting Neji-niisan and..." she trailed off and Ino felt her heart pang as she realized what that statement meant.

Hinata knew about Neji. "I..." Ino couldn't finish her sentence. How could she have failed to mention this walking past that picture of Neji every time she came here?

Sakura's eyes softened as she gave Hinata her own squeeze of a hug. "I see." She leaned back, but place her hands on Hinata's shoulders. "I can't get mad at that."

"We gave Uncle flowers." Himawari said, her arms wrapped around Hinata's legs, more-than-likely feeling Hinata's own sadness. "So that means he's happy right Kaa-chan? He's happy that we came and see him, but he wants you to be happy too. He doesn't want you to be sad, that's why he always kept you safe right? So you wouldn't feel sad?"

Ino's heart rang for the young girl and there were smiles on all the women's faces when they looked at her. "That's right, Himawari-chan." Ino said a wide grin on her face. "That's why we all protect you. We want all of the next generation to be happy, just like how Neji kept Hinata happy." Hinata looked at Ino with surprise. "Now come on girls, group hug! Cheer up!" She wrapped her arms around them as well as she could.

"Aww, Auntie Ino you guys are squishing me!"

The reply came from Sakura, "We're squishing you with love!"

"Jish ish uh lot of ruv." Hinata managed to get out as her cheeks were mushed together from being in the middle.

"Only the best for our Byakugan Princess!"

"Auntie!"

There was nothing but giggles for the next passing moments until Sakura and Ino finally let go of their bestie. "Alright, alright. Non-huggy love now."

Himwari looked relieved as the redness of being smooshed began to fade away. "I thought I was gonna be squished to death."

Hinata ran a hand through her daughter's locks, "We'll try not to again, Himawari."

"Okay." She looked at her gifts from Sakura, probably happy that the chocolate bar hadn't been broken in halves. "So do this mean we're having a Girl's Day Out like you guys do, Kaa-chan?"

Hinata made a questioning noise, not sure to answer, so Ino stepped in. "It's 'Girl's Night Out', dear." Ino said, winking and holding up a finger in explanation. "And this is more of Girl's _Day_ Out. Minus your other Aunties." Who know where Temari, Tenten, and Karui were at. Should she call them? It didn't take long for Ino to negate the idea. It had been way too long since had been just Ino, Sakura, and Hinata and she wasn't going to let it slip by. Even if this wasn't the Hinata she was used to. Hinata was still Hinata, a great friend no matter the age. She just wished her younger self had realized that way earlier on instead of being obsessed with Sasuke and beating Sakura in some way.

Well, better late than never they always say.

"But this is the perfect opportunity to introduce you to the tradition we know as Girl Time!" Ino clapped her hands together. "Let's break out the nail polish."

Sakura groaned, "Ino, no."

"Oh don't ruin this for our youngest member of Girl's Day Out." Ino pouted. "Right, Hima?"

Himawari pulled out her puppy eye's, almost as lethal as the ones Hinata gave and Sakura flinched. "Oh alright!" Ino smirked in victory. Thank you Hinata's genes, she wanted to say. "And if we're lucky, maybe Sarada will stop by. I told her that I would be here if she needed anything."

"Sarada-neechan will?!" The small Uzumaki asked with a happy look of surprise. That just about made her mood considering she was younger than all the rest of the kids. "Kaa-chan can I get your nail polish from out the bathroom?"

Hinata gave an affirmative sound as she nodded.

Ino took a seat at the table, ready to get things started. "Bring me a nice sky blue, dear!"

"I know your mother has light green somewhere in there." Sakura said. "If you can't find it though, I'll take red or pink."

"Okay." Himawari saluted as she set her items down at the table, ready to take on the mission bestowed to her. "What colour do you want, Kaa-chan?"

The aforementioned mother blinked in surprise, "Oh, um," her eyes wandered for a bit until they landed on something. "Orange?"

"And I'll get pink!"

[';']

Ino took a sip of tea. "Nothing like dango, amirite ladies?" She was careful with every motion she made as she was wary of ruining her nails. It didn't matter if they were dry, you could never be too careful when it came to your vanity.

Hinata and Sakura both said "Uh huh".

They were all currently watching TV as they all sat by one another on the couch, the basket of dango in front of them on the coffee table. Himawari sat in the love seat, legs crisscrossed as she nibbled on her chocolate bar, blue eyes focused on the show in front of them. It was some anime called Cutie Cure, some magical girl show if Ino remembered correctly.

A warm breeze carressed Ino's face. "And this lovely summer weather just to boot." Days like this were her favourite.

"Summer has always been my favourite season." Hinata said, smiling at the tree branches dancing outside. "Its easier to find my favourite flowers here, and I saw a hummingbird this morning too."

Sakura chuckled, "You've always been a weird one, Hinata." She ate a dango ball before speaking again. "Summer's always been too sticky for me and it reminds me of that one mission I had with Naruto and Lee back when we were all genin. We where in the Land of the Moon." Her eyes glazed over from the nostalgia. "Ever since, I've been more appreciative of fall."

The blonde of the trio laughed and held her nose high, "Spring has always been my best season. The season of rebirth and renewal."

"And also the season of youth." Sakura said with an impish smile and Hinata choked on tea as she tried to hold back the laugh bubbling in her throat.

"Oh ha ha, Forehead!" Ino snapped.

Lee hadn't changed at all over the years, and his son Metal Lee was clearly falling in his footsteps. But Lee jr was a sweet heart too, and it made him much more popular with the ladies. Probably due to his parentage. Lee was pretty sweet too, but it was harder to realize when you were overwhelmed by the bushy brows and green tights. Now Konoha had become used to it, and Lee jr got the better end of the stick.

Hinata looked at her daughter, "What about you, honey?" Himawari looked at her. "Do you have a favourite season?"

Himawari didn't have to think about her answer. "Winter, 'cause we get to build snowmans and make hot cocoa. And you make even bigger cinnamon rolls too!"

"Mmm," Sakura licked her lips. "A batch of Hinata's cinnamon rolls always sound so nice. I can't even eat regular ones now."

Ino nodded in agreement, "The cinnamon rolls at restaurants or stores just don't have that Hinata touch to it."

Hinata blinked and paused in thought, but soon a shy smile spread across her face as her cheeks turned a light pink. "I can make some..."

Himawari cheered, "For desert then?"

_I'm glad that at the very least this Hinata can cook for herself._ The Yamanaka head sighed mentally. Imagine the stress it would've put on her if she couldn't. And the kids might've found it weird too. Even if they were young, no one was gullible enough to believe a person's ability to cook could vanish out of the blue. "Just make sure to bring me a batch. Looks like I can by that water mint tea I've been wanting after all. I'm getting a treat."

"And you know how much the kids in the clinic love them so don't forget us." Sakura grinned.

"And I'll help Kaa-chan make them!"

Hinata looked elated at the thought of mother-daughter baking time. "Then that means they'll taste twice as good, right Himawari?" Himawari only smiled widely in response. That was answer enough.

The moment was very sweet._ I want my own daughter one day._ Ino thought wistfully feeling a tad jealous. _I could talk Sai into having another._ Maybe the next child would look like have black hair this time.

Her thoughts were cut short by the sound of knocking.

"Oh," Sakura set her dango-less toothpick on a plate full of them. "That must be Sarada. I guess she wanted to see Himawari too."

"I'll go let her in!" Hinata said, but Himawari was already at the front door. Hinata chased after her. "Himawari, you can't just open the door. It could be a bad person!" MamaHina had been unlocked.

"Okay..." Came the dejected voice as the younger blunette stood behind her mother's leg, peeking out to see if it was who she hoped to be as Hinata opened.

"Ohayou, Hinata-sa-"

Sakura cut off the voice of her daughter, "Auntie Hinata!" She had an exasperated look on her face as she looked at Ino. "She's been calling Hinata that since she heard that Naruto was becoming Hokage. Just because her status is changing, it doesn't make her any less of an aunt."

Ino snorted, "She's yours and Sasuke's daughter." It was no surprise this happened in her opinion.

"Ah..." Heads turned to the direction of the sound. It was Sarada, fidgeting slightly as she avoided looking up at Hinata. "Mama, why is she looking at me like that?"

Some of Hinata's face had become visible after she had turned diagonally to let the young black-haired girl in the house. Her pupiless eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth agape only breaking out of her stupor when she heard a worried 'Kaa-chan'. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She closed the door, ears scarlet. "Please enjoy yourself, Sarada-chan."

Sarada gave a small nod and gave another sound of surprise when she was suddenly being tugged elsewhere by Himawari. "Come on! Let's play ninja together!"

There Sarada-chan goes on the flight to whatever imaginary land they will find themselves in.

Hinata awkwardly made her way back to her spot on the couch, aware of Sakura's jade green optics staring her down. "..." Ino sweated a little. Did the pinkette realize something? "That was strange. You don't normally stare Sarada down like that."

The blunette twiddled her fingers, "I'm sorry." She apologized for the umpteenth time today. "I never really took a look at Sarada-chan before so, I was just surprised at how much she looked like you, Sakura-s-chan." Hinata grounded out. "Like your eyes and face. But she has some of Sasuke-san on her too..."

"Like you and your kids, huh?" Sakura picked her teacup. "In my opinion, Boruto looks much more like Hinata than Naruto. Most people just see the hair and whiskers and go, oh, that's Naruto's boy. But all he got from Naruto was his hair colour. Everything else is definitely Hinata. Same with Himawari-chan. She just looks like a mini-Naruto with blue hair. I find that ironic," the pinkette smiled and sipped her drink quietly. "The kid that has the hair colour of one of the parents looks more like the other."

Ino didn't say anything. What Sakura said sounded vaguely familiar. Maybe she was just overthinking it?

"You really think so?" Hinata questioned.

"Most definitely." Sakura replied. "It makes me wonder if Boruto will be the one to grow his hair out in the future instead."

There was no way Ino would've been able to hold back her laughter. Boruto with long hair? That was something she'd love to see before her time in this world ended.

"And speaking of long hair," Sakura picked up a strand of her own with a sour look. "This has been a bigger pain than I thought it would be. I thought I missed having my long hair but now this is just a hassle."

Ino made a sound that gave off 'oh-my-gosh-I-know-what-you-mean' attitude. "The kids at the clinic are always so touchy about it! It was sweet at first but now it's taking even longer to comb it because of all the knots I get from braids!" And this was hair she'd grown out since she was a genin, it was her baby! Her pride and joy now being ankle length. Now even she was beginning to feel a little sick and tired of it.

Hinata hummed in sympathy. "Long hair is difficult to maintain with children isn't it?" Her pale fingers fiddled with her own hair.

"I think I'm just going to cut it short again." Sakura deadpanned.

"Ugh," Ino frowned, conflicted. "I still want my hair to be long! Just not this long! Just make it more manageable than three and a half hours of brushing."

The three of them fell silent.

Blue looked at Jade.

Cat-like grins broke the ice.

"The three of us are having a lunch date next weekend!" The two of them yelled in unison.

"Eh?" Hinata bleated.

Sakura held one of Hinata's arms, "It's been a while since just the three of went out together. So let's go out and get hair cuts and celebrate with lunch at nice place!" Sakura looked like a kid receiving a large amount of otoshidama from their generous grandparents. " You can just get that shoulder-length hairstyle you had back when Boruto and Himawari were toddlers! It'll be fun and you don't have to pay a thing if that's what you're worried about."

"Yeah," Ino confirmed. "Forehead'll pay for everything!"

Sakura looked like she wanted to wop Ino in the face. "You'll be paying half, you Porker!"

"Why you-"

"A-ano."

Hinata's voice prevented an argument from bursting out into the open. She held her hands up like a peace offering. "I-I don't mind going. We could call split the bills... If, if you don't mind that is! I don't want to make you think you have to or anything!"

Ino couldn't help her smile as she thought about the younger Hinata's -this Hinata's shyness. It was an oddity. Abnormal. The Hinata of the current time... If you were born in the generation that their kids were in, you'd never have been able to guess that the cheery, gentle Hinata of today was shy instead of confident in her every move. _You come a long way Hinata._ Ino felt like ruffling the girl's hair._ You just don't know it yet._ "Well I'm fine with that if Forehead is."

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Sakura uttered.

"Then it looks like we have a plan then!" Ino stood up pumping a fist into the air. "Operation: Slice and dine!"

"That doesn't even rhyme, Ino-pig!"

"It does so if you listen to it a certain way, right Hinata?!"

"Don't bring her into your stupidity in rhyming!"

"M-maybe we could find a different name?"

"See, told you Hinata- wait what?!"

"Ha! More like I told you, Ino!"

No one could hear the good-natured giggles over Sakura and Ino's screeching.

* * *

_... and then, Sarada-neechan came over and she played ninja with me!_  
_It was really fun because I had another girl to play with. I wonder if Chouchou-neechan will come over too next time._  
_Maybe then we could have a Girl's Day Out like Kaa-chan and Auntie Sakura and Auntie Ino. They said we're too young for_  
_the one at night, but when we're older we can. So that'll be fun! I wonder what's like having a Girl's Night Out, Diary._  
_Do girl's have certain things they talk about? Like clothes and flowers? Or boys?_

Himawari stopped writing in the new diary her surrogate aunt, her blue eyes clouding up in thought.

Her feet were in the air, kicking softly up and down as she laid stomach-down on her bed. Her bed was small, but for her it seemed big. Especially with the fluffy pink and yellow blankets that engulfed her like a body of water after a ninja couldn't keep afloat using their chakra. It was a bed meant for comfort, and deep thought. And yet, for once, Himawari couldn't feel that usual comfort at all.

_Boys..._

Shikadai's face suddenly popped into the Uzumaki's head and her cheeks turned as pink as Sakura's hair. "No, no, no, no!" She slammed her head into her blankets, her sunflower pen dropping from her hand. _That's nii-chan's friend! And he's older than me too!_

Himawari was going through a crisis. A big one.

But when it came down to it, the blue-haired girl has a crush on Shikadai Nara. She didn't even know why! She hadn't told anyone, but she always wanted to marry a person like her daddy. He was fun and nice, and he always called her his 'Little Princess'. Her mom was always smiling when it came to him and always looked so happy too! So when Himawari got old enough to actually comprehend that one day she'd marry someone one day- it would have to be someone like her father. And Shikadai, not that he ever tried to be, was _nothing_ like the man called Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto always tried really hard.

Shikadai did the bare minimum without being pushed into using his full potential.

Naruto told jokes all that time.

Shikadai's idea of a good joke was his blunt, cold sarcasm.

Naruto was active.

Shikadai slept.

Naruto was outdoorsy.

Shikadai ventured to the outdoors to nap in a nice sunny spot on a warm day.

Naruto called her cute nicknames like 'Princess' or 'Angel'.

Shikdai thought it was too troublesome to say her full name and just called her 'Hima'.

But when Himawari first met those sharp dark green eyes with an equally nice face, she flipped and she wanted to get to know him even more. He was super different than what she imagined her future husband or wife to be (her mother told her a long time ago 'Love knew no gender'). But his strong will was really nice, and that was like her dad according to Hinata. He was also really smart and he often spared time for her amusement, even when she felt like she was being annoying because he was supposed to be Boruto's guest.

She couldn't help it though! Himawari clenched a tiny hand into a fist and stared at it, eyes wavering. _I really wanna know him better... _Itweird to her, being shy like this. Or not really shy, but more put out about this than she probably should be. It was easy to look happy around him, but when she was alone she just poured out her feelings into her conscience as she drowned in fluffy blankets.

"Himawari?"

Said girl jumped at the sound of her mother's voice ringing out into her room. She got onto her knees and looked to see the older woman peeking her head into her room. "Kaa-chan?"

"We're having soup for dinner." Hinata said -not mentioning the fact it was a canned good she found in the cabinet. "Boruto and I are waiting. Are you not hungry?" Her eyes gleaned with worry and it made Himawari feel guilty. Her parents being sad didn't make her feel good.

Himawari smiled widely in an attempt to cheer her mother up, "No, I'm coming."

"..." Hinata made a tender disbelieving face. "Is there something bothering you, honey?"

_"You can always tell me anything you don't think you could Tou-chan or Nii-chan, okay, sweetie?" Hinata had told her with a smile and pat on the head._

Himawari played with the bottom of her shirt and looked down at her legging-covered knees. "Kaa-chan," she paused for a moment to find the right words. "Can I ask you something?"

Hinata entered Himawari's room, almost closing the door completely, and sat on the edge of Himawari's bed. "What's been bothering you?" She patted on a spot beside her and Himawari took it, still unable to look her mother in the face. "You can tell me and I won't be mad."

"How..." The blue-eyed blunette licked her lips and screwed her eyes shut. "How do you get a boy to like you?"

"Eh?"

Himawari looked up at her mom's surprised face, blushing all over again. "I mean, how did Tou-chan fall in love with you?!"_ I'll just ask her something else!_

A blush spread across Hinata's face as well, "Eeeh?!"

The Uzumaki girl wanted to drown in her blankets and she threw her face into her pillow in an effort to get the same effect.

A terribly tense silence was among silence between the two blue-haired girls as Hinata looked for something to say and Himawari wished for her mother to forget this ever came up. _She'll think I'm weird!_ Himawari shoved her face deeper into her pillows confines. _I don't want Kaa-chan to think I'm weird!_

Finally, Hinata ended the silence. Himawari flinched slightly in surprise as she felt the big but warm hand engulf her shoulder. "Is there a boy you like, Himawari?" Hinata asked, putting two and two together.

"..." Himawari didn't say anything, but she nodded, head still in the pillow.

"Do you want to me who he is?"

Once again, Himawari remembered what her mother had told her. About being able to tell her everything. "..." With a deep breath -best as she could with pillow in her face, Himawari sat back up. Her back was still to Hinata, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to tell her anything. "I... I like Shikadai..."

"Shikadai-kun?" Hinata repeated surprised.

Himawari felt her face get hotter and nodded, "But he's Boruto-niichan's best friend and he just thinks I'm a kid!" She was getting bigger and bigger everyday! "But, I don't want him to think that I'm just a kid or Boruto-niichan's little sister." Would her mother understand? Auntie Hanabi had told her that Hinata was the oldest of the Hyuga sisters.

Hinata was quiet again and it only served to make Himawari feel more anxious.

"I think that," Hinata began. "If you just be yourself, Shikadai-kun will realize how special you are, Himawari."

Cerulean finally met opal.

"Do you think so?" Himawari's heart fluttered lightly at the hope.

"Mmm!" Hinata smiled with closed eyes.

A sigh of relief flew through Himawari's lips, "Oh." Then she was just making it a huge deal then? "I'm so happy."

"I'm happy you feel better now."

Then it Himawari, "You can't tell anyone!" Hinata blinked in surprise. "You can't tell Tou-chan and you can't tell Nii-chan either! You really can't tell Nii-chan! He'll think it's weird if he knows I like Shikadai!"

"You what?!" Boruto slammed Himawari's door wide open, a shocked expression on his face.

Himawari felt like disappearing forever. "Nii-chan go away!"

An obnoxious laugh erupted from the blonde's throat. "Oh my god!" He was gasping for air. "You like that lazy bum?! This is great! I can't believe it!"

Himawari leapt into Hinata's lap, head in her chest. "Kaa-chan tell him to stop and to never tell anyone, especially not Shikadai!"

"Don't tease your sister, Boruto." Hinata said, sweatdropping as she tried to find a way to fix this. "You wouldn't want anyone to tell your secret crush to anyone. So let's keep it secret for Himawari okay?"

Boruto rolled his lavender eyes, "I won't say anything, sheesh. I'm the King of keeping secrets." He crossed his arms. "But it's not like it matters anyway. It's just a crush, no big deal."

Himawari looked at Boruto with a curious expression, "Really? It isn't special?"

"Nope!"

This time Hinata sounded a bit more reprimanding, "Boruto, a crush is very special. Have you ever had one?"

Boruto looked put off from his high horse, "Well, n-"

Himawari gasped. "Is it Sarada-neechan?!" That was first person to come to her mind. And to think Boruto had just missed her earlier when he came back home. Should she try and see if Sarada liked him?

"Ew no way!" Boruto gagged and threw a stray stuffed bear at his sister. "Like I'd ever like her! 'Sides, Inojin likes her so it's going against Bro Code if I- oh crap I wasn't supposed to tell you that!"

Any faith Himawari had in her brother keeping her feelings for Shikadai secret just flew out the window. "See! You'll slip up and tell him!" After all he just ratted out Inojin and he mentioned something about a Bro Code. What was that? Was that supposed to be a secret too? _He might even tell Tou-chan!_

"No I won't!"

"Hora, hora." Hinata interrupted the sibling's bantering. "Why don't we go eat instead? Himawari, I'm sure Boruto will do his best to keep your secret. And Boruto you won't antagonize your sister anymore right?"

"Yes ma'am." The Uzumaki children said in unison, voices dejected.

_Kami-sama!_ Himawari shouted as she ate her soup quietly. _Please don't let Boruto-niichan tell anyone!_

* * *

**_A/n:_** chapter 6 end. [Translation note: Otoshidama is a custom for New Year's in Japan in which adults give children pocket money. It would be nice if we did this in the west...]

I hope you guys enjoyed the ride. Here is another chapter giving you insight into how it was before the change happened, and in a different perspective that one of the Hinata's. I love the idea of all my girls being that one group of wives that just have their Girl's Night Out at some coffee shop or dango shop, talking about the trials of work, husbands, and kids. Especially the idea of a strong SakuHinaIno friendship. And you CANNOT tell me that Hinata wouldn't be the favourite mom out them all! To the other next gen, she'd be a refreshment from "QUIT BEING LAZY AND TRAIN!" or "CLEAN YOUR ROOM UP RIGHT NOW!" And just for headcanons sake, I'm making Tenten Metal Lee's mom.

If she isn't... Well shit. But oh well.

And the trip to the hair salon is just my headcanon after seeing that all 3 of them have shorter hair now as of the Boruto the Movie trailers + designs and Gaiden. Cuz Sakura did eventually grow her hair long again, proven in Gaiden, but she cut it short again. (And did anyone catch my Pretty Cure reference?)

Also, what did you think about the trip through Hima-chan's POV? It's been a while *cough* i'm 17 *cough* since I've been her age and since I didn't grow up with my brothers with me, I never got the chance or opportunity to crush on a friend of theirs. But do you think I managed to portray this well? Was it realistic enough? I mean, crushes and everything else seemed super dramatic and exaggerated at the age to me so I hope I didn't make her too dramatic. When I was tot I thought I'd marry my crushes one day...

**_Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!_**

**_Preview - _**Chapter Seven: Something Is Up: "I'm telling you guys... there's something wrong with my mom!" "What do you want us to do about it?" "We'll shadow her of course!" "We can't skip class to shadow-" "C'mon boys, let's head out!"


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